If the Yamuna water is receding, why is Delhi still flooded?

The photographs from Delhi are apocalyptic. The swelling Yamuna has taken over large swathes of the city. Some of the busiest roads are flooded after days of torrential rain across north India.

The Yamuna River, say authorities, is receding. That seems like good news, yes. But Delhi’s woes are far from over.

We take a look at how bad the situation is and what can we expect in the coming days.

Also read: The Drowning Capital: Why heavy rains flood Delhi every year

Is the Yamuma receding?

The flood situation in Delhi continues. Some more areas were submerged as the water level at the Old Delhi Yamuna Bridge was recorded at 208.46 metres at 6 am on Friday. That is less than 208.66 metres at 8 pm Thursday, which was the highest ever recorded.

While the water level has decreased it remains above the danger mark of 205.33 metres.

The Central Water Commission has predicted that the water levels will fall on Friday and could reach 208.30 metres by 1 pm.

Delhi minister Aitshi said that it was good news that the water level was not rising. “It is receding at a rate of 0.1 metre so it will take a day’s time for the water to recede. Water is entering areas because all drains are full and it is backflow that is flooding the areas,” she told Hindustan Times.

“Pumping out is not possible now because the water will have to go to Yamuna itself and its water level is already high… This difficulty is not due to a person or situation but due to incessant heavy rainfall in north India,” she added.

How bad is the flooding in Delhi?

Delhi government was forced to shut schools and colleges as water flowing from the Yamuna flooded the Capital. Non-essential government offices will be closed until Sunday and the Delhi government has issued an advisory for private offices to work from home.

The city’s biggest crematorium at Nigambodh Ghat was forced to shut down along with others located at Geeta Colony, Wazirabad and Sarai Kale Khan. “Due to floods in Delhi, crematoriums at Nigambodh Ghat, Geeta Colony, Wazirabad and Sarai Kale Khan are closed,” Mayor Shelly Oberoi said on Friday, advising people to look for alternative cremation grounds.

Areas near ITO and Rajghat are underwater. The ITO crossing area, the busiest traffic intersection in Delhi, was waterlogged after a drain regulator broke down. On Friday, the floodwaters reached Supreme Court in the central part of the city.

Delhi Chief Minister directed officials to seek the help of the army and disaster relief force to fix the flooding at ITO. “This breach is causing flooding of ITO and surroundings. Engineers have been working whole nite (sic). I have directed the Chief Secretary to seek help of Army/NDRF but this shud be fixed urgently,” he tweeted.

This breach is causing flooding of ITO and surroundings. Engineers have been working whole nite. I have directed the Chief Secretary to seek help of Army/NDRF but this shud be fixed urgently https://t.co/O8R1lLAWXX

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 14, 2023

Kejriwal, who visited the spot, said that the situation would have been avoided had the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) would be present in the area, as the government had requested the Lieutenant Governor earlier.

The matter snowballed as Delhi’s water minister Saurabh Bharadwaj and LG Vini Kumar Saxena had a war of words over NDRF deployment during an inspection of a dysfunctional regulator.

According to Bharadwaj, the regulator broke because of pressure, causing the river water to flow back into the city through the drain. Saxena told the media that the flooding problem was being handled by creating embankments with stones and the deployment of the army.

After the media briefing, the minister said that there was a delay in the deployment of the NDRF team. “The NDRF has come now. Thank you hai, par raat ko aa jati to behtar hota… (It would have been better if they came last night),” complained Bharadwaj.

While the LG responded by saying this was not time for a blame game, he said that had spoken to the NDRF team on time. After the verbal spat, he accused the Delhi minister of being “grossly stupid and uncalled for behaviour”.

Meanwhile, several other areas in the city, including Red Fort, Kashmere Gate, Civil Lines, were inundated. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which manages Red Fort, shut the 17th-Century monument to visitors on Friday and it is likely to be closed this weekend too.

Will there be water and power cuts?

The rising level of the Yamuna led to the shutting down of water treatment plants at Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla after they were flooded. They would be restarted as soon as the Yamuna water recedes.

There is likely to be an issue with the water supply at least for the next 24 hours.

Kejriwal told reporters on Friday, “Due to the flooding, water has entered pump rooms and our three water treatment plants in Chandrawal, Okhla and Wazirabad are on the banks of Yamuna… Water has entered there and we can’t run the machines because of that. So we won’t be able to start operating the machines until the water level goes down...”

Authorities in Delhi have also warned of power cuts in some areas, reports NDTV.

Loose electric wires in the ITO area caused concern, as pedestrians were getting electric shocks from the metal fence on the road divider, which they were walking on because of flooded pavements. Authorities had no choice but to cut the power supply to the electric poles.

Is more rain expected?

Yes. Light to moderate rainfall is expected to occur in Delhi, Haryana, and adjoining areas for the next five days, reports ANI.

Explaining the reason behind the flooding in Delhi, an IMD scientist said it is not due to localised rain. “It is because the Yamuna River has received a lot of water from Himachal and other states.”

With inputs from agencies