'Please Evacuate': Delhi CM Appeals to People in Flood-prone Areas | All You Need to Know

As the water level of River Yamuna breached the mark of the 208-meter on Wednesday at 10 pm, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal chaired an emergency meeting with cabinet ministers and requested people residing in the flood-prone areas to move to a safer place as their “lives are most important”.

Addressing the media after the meeting, he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI, “The water level of the Yamuna River in Delhi has reached 207.71 metres, which is the highest ever. Delhi has not received rainfall in the last 2-3 days. Water is entering Delhi from Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. Regarding this, I have also written a letter to Union HM Amit Shah requesting him to reduce the flow of water entering Delhi, only then we can stop the Yamuna River from overflowing. I request everyone to vacate their homes in the low-lying areas. There are several places affected by the rise in the level of water in Yamuna River.”

Relief Camps for relocation

He also assured that the Delhi government has made all the arrangements in the relief camps, including food, toilets and other basic amenities.

Kejriwal, who is also AAP national convener, also said that camps have been set up in six districts and “The Delhi Govt has made concrete arrangements for relief and evacuation. Many relief camps have been made, all the DMs have also been told that if needed, nearby schools and dharamshalas should be acquired.”

He lauded the help that the officials were receiving from the NGOs, and gurudwaras who were providing langar to the needy.

The AAP supremo also said that they were in constant contact with the BJP-led central government.

Yamuna water level Rises

Informing about the status of the Yamuna river, Kejriwal said, “He got a call from Gajendra Shekhawat ji, told that there is no reservoir, so water cannot be stopped, but water is getting less from Himachal-then the situation will be better.”

“The water released yesterday will reach after 24 hours, will increase the level of Yamuna. It will take time to reduce the level,” he added.

The Yamuna in Delhi swelled to 207.55 metres on Wednesday, breaching its all-time record of 207.49 metres set in 1978, government agencies said. At 11 pm on Wednesday, the water level reached the mark of 208.08 metres.

According to the Central Water Commission’s (CWC) flood monitoring portal, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge crossed the 207-metre mark at 4 am, the first time since 2013, and rose to 207.55 metres by 1 pm.

The river is likely to rise further, an official of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department said.

Delhi Traffic Movement Disrupted

Till now, thousands of people have been shifted to safer areas as water gushed into their homes and markets near the river. Videos of submerged streets and markets showed the situation on ground.

In view of this situation, the Delhi Police imposed prohibitory measures under CrPC section 144 in flood-prone areas of the city. This essentially prevents unlawful assembly of four or more people and public movement in groups.

In another development, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority issued an advisory asking people to move to safer places and cautioning them against passing through low-lying areas.

The Delhi Traffic Police on Wednesday issued an advisory and said that incessant rainfall in Delhi and surrounding areas has resulted in a rise in the water level of the Yamuna. Furthermore, the release of water from Hathni Kund Barrage has heightened the risk of flood-like conditions in low-lying areas in the vicinity of the river.

Waterlogging on parts of the busy Ring Road, including on the stretch between Majnu ka Tila and Wazirabad, led to traffic congestion, Public Works Department (PWD) officials said.

Commuters are advised to postpone travel plans to low-lying areas and in case of unavoidable journey, the mentioned roads should be excluded from travel plans, they said.

Kejriwal Sends SOS to Centre

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal also urged the Centre to intervene to ensure that levels of the Yamuna don’t rise further.

In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he requested that “if possible the water from Hathnikund barrage in Haryana be released in limited speed” and pointed out that Delhi is set to host the G-20 Summit meeting in a few weeks.

“The news of flood in the capital of the country will not send a good message to the world. Together we will have to save the people of Delhi from this situation,” Kejriwal wrote in the letter.

Northwest India saw incessant rainfall over the weekend with many areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan recording “heavy to extremely heavy” rains.

‘Those in Relief Camps Unhappy with Govt Arrangements’

Forced to leave their homes to escape the flooding caused by the swollen Yamuna river, there is anger among those staying in relief camps set up by the Delhi government. While some criticised the government for failing to learn a lesson despite the Yamuna inundating people’s homes every year, others claimed no rescue teams showed up to evacuate them.

“We lost our home. We are left with nothing. We have lost all our valuables and belongings. There was no one to evacuate us. We came here on our own,” claimed Rubi Devi, who is staying in a relief camp in east Delhi’s Mayur Vihar, on Wednesday.

“Our children are suffering more than us. Their schools have been shut,” she said.

Rubi is among the many who lost the roof over their heads following days of heavy rains in Delhi and the upper catchment areas of the Yamuna.

Many of those staying in the Mayur Vihar relief camp complained about the lack of basic facilities.

“We are facing so many problems here. We have lost everything. What will we do now? It’s poor people like us who are suffering and not the politicians. The government makes false promises but does nothing on the ground,” complained another woman staying in the camp.

“We came here by ourselves after wading through neck-deep water. Our houses were flooded. Where will we go now? The tents allotted to us are such that if it rains, we will be rendered homeless again,” she alleged.

Radhe Krishan, who was waiting in a queue to get food, claimed, “A local gurdwara is serving food here. What is the government doing for us? A flood alert was sounded last year as well but the government hardly did anything. The situation remains the same.” “What is the Kejriwal government doing? They come to us to seek votes but don’t have time for us when we are in trouble,” he said.

At the relief camp near the Rajghat bus depot, Kishan, a farmer, said he loses his crops every year to the floods.

Asked why he hasn’t shifted somewhere else, he said he does not have the capacity to do so himself but will definitely move if the government helps him.

Delhi minister Atishi visited the relief camps to take stock of the flood situation and said the Delhi government is strengthening river embankments and evacuating people from the floodplains.

(with inputs from PTI)