Delhi roads flooded as Yamuna River overflows, causing water to reach critical areas.

New Delhi:

The waters from the rising Yamuna, which flooded a key road in north Delhi, is moving east. The arterial Ring Road, which was submerged near Monastery and Kashmere Gate, is also flooded at ITO, which is one of the few routes to commute from east Delhi to Central Delhi and the heart of the city, Connaught Place.

At 11 pm, the river has risen to an all-time high of 208.08 meters, its previous record was 207.49 meters back in 1978. The Central Water Commission has said the water flow into Yamuna will peak around 8-10 AM on Thursday morning. Around 2 pm, it will start dropping.

“At 8 PM, 1,47,857 Cusecs water released from Hathini Kund Barrage. As per latest forecast issued by Central Water Commission (CWC) on 12.07.2023 at 05:10 PM, water level at Old Railway Bridge (ORB) is expected to be at 207.99 Meters on 13.07.2023 between 04:00 AM to 06:00 AM & thereafter, it was likely to remain Stable,” read a statement from the Delhi government.

In the evening, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, requesting that “limited quantity of water should be released by Haryana from Hathnikund barrage so that the level of Yamuna doesn’t rise any further”.

Explaining the surge, the Central water Commission, in a tweet, said, “Hathnikund Barrage has limited storage. During high inflows, excess water is to be released downstream. Very heavy rainfall occurred in Himalayan region upstream of Hathnikund Barrage during 09-11 July”.

The civic body has, meanwhile, issued an alert asking citizens to stay away from the city’s oldest crematorium, the Nigam Bodh Ghat, which can be flooded anytime.

“Citizens may face inconvenience as Yamuna water can enter Nigam Bodh Ghat premises… Water-logging at Geeta Colony crematorium also, arrangement have been done at Karkarduma and Ghazipur cremation grounds,” read an advisory from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

Earlier today, the Yamuna waters reached the Ring Road in North Delhi, causing waterlogging and traffic jams.

Issuing a warning, the Delhi Traffic Police handle tweeted, “Traffic is affected on Ring road between Monastery and ISBT, Kashmere Gate due to overflowing Yamuna river water. Kindly avoid the stretch.”

Traffic Alert
Traffic is affected on Ring road between Monastery and ISBT, Kashmere Gate due to overflowing Yamuna river water. Kindly avoid the stretch. pic.twitter.com/frUaY4WmnX

— Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) July 12, 2023

With a total length of 47 km, the Outer Ring Road encircles Delhi and is a key connector in the city. It links areas like Rohini, IIT Flyover and the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) at Kashmere Gate, which is an important entry-exit point for both private and public vehicles.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged residents in low-lying areas near the river to move out. “We have to protect lives and properties. People in low-lying areas near the Yamuna River need to be evacuated,” Mr Kejriwal said.

Homes and markets in Delhi have been flooded and many residents living near the river have been forced to move to the terrace with their belongings. NDTV spoke to shopowners in the Monastery Market in the Old Delhi area who were struggling to remove the items in their shops even as the water level kept rising.

“The last time we saw so much water was in 2013. Flooding destroys our shops and ruins our stocks. We suffer big losses,” a shopkeeper said.