A drain regulator malfunctioned amid rising water levels in the Yamuna river, flooding Delhi’s ITO crossing region, the busiest traffic hub in the capital. In a tweet earlier today, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal acknowledged that the leak is what is causing the flooding in the area and that he has ordered officials to enlist the Army and a disaster relief squad to help urgently fix it.
“This breach is flooding ITO and the adjacent areas. The entire night has been devoted to engineering work. Despite crews working all night to repair the damage, water from the Yamuna was still entering the city via the breach, he tweeted. “I have instructed the Chief Secretary to seek assistance from the Army/NDRF, but this shud be fixed urgently,” he said.
Today, Mr. Kejriwal will pay a visit to the location that links important areas of Delhi.
Around 7 p.m. yesterday, the drain regulator for drain number 12 between the WHO building and the Indraprastha bus depot on Delhi’s Ring Road malfunctioned. Backflow occurred in the drain that brought water from central Delhi to the Yamuna as a result of this. ITO and the adjacent neighbourhoods are flooded, according to Mr. Kejriwal.
Saurabh Bharadwaj, the chairman of the Delhi Jal Board and the minister for health in Delhi, reportedly attempted all night to rectify it without success.
Another issue is the loose electrical wiring in the ITO area, which is blocked off from both sides to prevent vehicles from entering. Walking along the road divider to avoid the flooded pavement, pedestrians were experiencing electric shocks from the metal fence. For the time being, authorities have turned off the electricity to electric poles.
Around 9 am, the Yamuna River’s water level at the Old Railway Bridge (ORB) was measured to be at 208.40 metres, crossing the danger line. Despite repeated promises from the Delhi government that it was prepared and floods were unlikely, the Yamuna river overflowed onto portions of Delhi due to the release of water from the Hathnikund barrage in the Yamuna Nagar district of Haryana during nonstop rain throughout the week.
According to predictions made by the Central Water Commission, water levels would drop today and may hit 208.30 metres by 1 pm.
As water from the overflowing Yamuna overwhelmed various districts of the nation’s capital yesterday, the Delhi administration closed down schools, universities, crematoriums, and even water treatment facilities.
