Over 7,500 evacuated as Yamuna floods Delhi’s low-lying areas

More than 7,500 people have been evacuated from low-lying flooded areas in Delhi as the Yamuna rose to 207 metres at the Old Railway Bridge (ORB) at 1 pm on Wednesday (September 3). The evacuees have been accommodated at 25 locations where relief camps have been set up.

By Wednesday afternoon, streets had turned into streams and marketplaces into pools of murky water as the residents of low-lying areas rushed to save their lives and belongings.

From shopkeepers in Majnu ka Tila to families in Madanpur Khadar and Badarpur, many have shifted to the makeshift shelters, waiting for the waters to recede. However, despite rising water levels, the Delhi government has reiterated that there is no need to panic. Officials said they are in “alert mode” and taking all necessary steps.

Besides evacuating people from low-lying areas, the authorities closed the Old Railway Bridge for traffic. But for displaced families, the real struggle will begin once the river recedes, as they piece together homes and livelihoods washed away by the flood.

At Majnu ka Tila, the busy market fell silent after water entered the lanes. Shopkeeper Anup Thapa told news agency PTI that he evacuated his store around 11 pm. “We shifted most of our goods, but some still got spoiled. Even after the water goes, we will have to repair the shop, which will cost us,” he said.

Thapa, who lived with his wife and a three-year-old daughter beside the shop, has moved to a roadside camp. “This is the second time after 2023. I urge the government to clean the streets and fix the area so that such incidents don’t happen again,” he added, pointing to electric wires hanging dangerously low above the floodwater.

Why locals are worried

A Federal Desh team also found that water from the Yamuna has now reached the embankments of Usmanpur and Sonia Vihar.

For safety, police have been deployed at all entry points to the Yamuna’s floodplain, and barricades have been set up.

At Chautha Pushta in Sonia Vihar, locals said the government has only set up five tents, despite over 150 people living there.

For the last two days, the government has been providing food, though irregularly and without fixed timings. Residents fear that once the water recedes, food aid and tents will also be withdrawn, leaving them to survive in muddy conditions that take 1–1.5 months to dry.

“We are surviving on salt and bread. The government has only been giving food for two days, but once the water goes down, even this will stop,” she added.

Plight of families

In Madanpur Khadar, families who lost their shanties are staying under old plastic sheets tied along the roadside. “All our belongings are inside. We could barely take out a few things. Women are facing a lot of problems as there are no toilets,” said Tayara, a resident.

Even stray dogs climbed staircases of deserted homes to escape the rising waters.

Another person told PTI, “Families have no food or utensils and are surviving only on biscuits and buns. We could not bring our cooking essentials, and now we have no facilities to cook — we are surviving on whatever we can buy from the kiosk.”

Livelihoods at stake

People were seen helping elderly parents wade through waist-deep water, while others sat in small roadside tents with whatever they had managed to save. Cars, motorcycles and furniture were submerged, while many residents stood far away, helplessly watching their homes getting submerged.

“Our shop has been closed since yesterday. The whole family depends on it. It will take days for the water to recede, and till then we have no income,” said Sachin Yadav, a shopkeeper at Monastery Market.

At Yamuna Bazaar, the scene looked as if homes and shops were standing in the middle of the river. “The month has just started and our earnings are already gone. We still have to pay rent and resettle everything once the water reduces,” said Rohit Kumar, a shopkeeper.

Similarly, in Badarpur, the roofs of houses were barely visible above the floodwater. Asif, a resident, stood with belongings balanced on his head. “I built this house with years of hard work to live with my wife and children, and now it is under water. Where should we go? There are still people stuck inside,” he said.

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Water from barrages blamed

The Yamuna in Delhi crossed the evacuation mark on Tuesday, as the water level was recorded at 206.03 metres and has been increasing since.

“Across five districts, more than 7,500 people have been evacuated from five districts – East, North, Southeast, Northeast, and Central. They have been shifted to relief camps at 25 locations, including tents, schools, etc.,” an official told PTI.

“The reason for the rising water level is mostly due to the high volumes of water released from the Wazirabad and Hathnikund barrages every hour. The forecast indicates a further increase in the water level,” an official from the Central Flood Control Room added.

The river received a discharge of 1.62 lakh cusecs from Hathnikund Barrage and 1.38 lakh cusecs from Wazirabad Barrage at 8 am.

More rain in store

And with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall in the Western Himalayan Region, Punjab, and Haryana in its latest All India Weather Forecast Bulletin, the situation in the national capital is not likely to improve soon.

The IMD has issued a red alert for Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh, and an orange alert for Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, West Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and parts of Maharashtra, Goa, and coastal Andhra Pradesh.

Also read: Himachal rains: Kangra flooded as 5,000 pilgrims remain stranded in Chamba

According to the IMD report, a low-pressure area is forming over northwest Bay of Bengal and is expected to intensify into a depression within the next 24 hours. This system is likely to bring heavy rainfall to coastal Andhra Pradesh, southern Chhattisgarh, southern Odisha, Telangana, and south-interior Karnataka.

Rainfall is predicted to continue for the northeastern states along with thunderstorms throughout the week.

(With inputs from The Federal Desh)