Delhi On High Alert: Yamuna River Breaches Evacuation Mark, Flood Response Activated | Latest Updates

The Yamuna River has breached the evacuation level in Delhi for the first time this year, which has made the city’s Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Minister, Parvesh Sahib Singh, initiated a full-fledged flood response plan. Huge quantities of water released from barrages at Wazirabad and Hathnikund have resulted in water flowing into a number of low-lying areas, putting the city on high alert.

Officials On High Alert As Contingency Plans Are Activated

Minister Singh conducted a high-level meeting of DJB officials and district magistrates to examine the flood preparedness, as reported by news agency The Indian Express. The minister said that the government is operating in “war footing” mode, with officers and ground staff remaining on duty for 24 hours. The minister has directed all the district magistrates, particularly those in the sensitive areas of South West, South East, South, and Central Delhi, to make relief materials, evacuation shelters, and rapid response teams ready.

“Delhi cannot be left open to the vagaries of nature,” Singh stated in a release, adding that coordination with the DJB, Central Water Commission (CWC), and the state government of Haryana is reviewed on an ongoing basis.

Resources Mobilised To Combat Flooding

In order to handle the situation, the I&FC department has put a considerable number of assets into service. These include 58 boats, 675 life jackets, 5,67,200 eco bags, and 82 mobile pumps. Ten fixed pumping stations have also been installed at weak points. Delhi Jal Board has been instructed to function in close liaison with the I&FC and the CWC in order to avoid waterlogging.

The minister has also put special emphasis on the Najafgarh Basin, asking the South West District Magistrate to keep a special eye on its water level and drainage. Round-the-clock, ongoing observation of discharge of water from the three major barrages—Hathnikund, Wazirabad, and Okhla—is also being done to facilitate quick response in case of any fluctuation in the level of the river.

Bureau Report