Yamuna to hit 5yearhigh today, displaced families yet to get relief
floodplains have been asked to shift here,” the official said.
According to Delhi government’s estimates, around 10,000 people have been evacuated and at least 1,149 tents have been set up, as the river touched 205.8m at around 9 pm on Monday. Around 8,600 people are living in tents set up by the government.
Many families were seen constructing their own shelters on the roadside in Shakarpur pushta after they were forced to abandon their shanties in the low lying areas of the floodplains.
“There are dozens of families who have refused to move. They said that they would move only after the water enters their homes,” said an official.
Those who had already shifted to relief camps, however, said they were being provided basic amenities. “We are being served with food at least three times a day. Mobile toilet facilities, drinking water and electricity are all there in the tents. Out cattle have also been give space at the far end of the camp site,” said Dhruv Kumar, a farmer.
This is the highest the Yamuna has swollen since 2013, when Delhi last encountered flood-like situation. In 2013, the water level touched 207.3m.
Meanwhile, Union environment minister Harsh Vardhan criticised Delhi government for not doing enough to provide shelter to affected people. “People along the Yamuna in Delhi are at the mercy of an insensitive government. As the river is rising above danger mark due to incessant rains, no advance planning in place, not enough shelter for people caught up in flood waters (sic),” he tweeted.
While traffic has been suspended on the Old Iron Bridge since Sunday night, train services were hit on Monday morning after services had to be suspended temporarily. At least 27 trains had to be cancelled before services could resume after noon.
Officials from the irrigation and flood control department said the Yamuna may start receding from Wednesday after reaching an expected peak of 206.5m on Tuesday evening. “Haryana had released 6 lakh cusecs of water from Hathni Kund barrage on Saturday. That water is expected to reach Delhi by Tuesday evening. We expect the water to start receding from Wednesday as Haryana has already reduced its water release,” said an official of the flood control room.
The India Meteorological Department has forecast that heavy rain is unlikely to occur in the upper catchment areas of Yamuna in states like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh at least over the next five days.