Water level in river Yamuna, which passes through India’s capital city Delhi, continues to remain above danger mark, posing fear of floods, particularly in low-lying areas of the city.
At 18:00 local time on Thursday, the water level of the overflowing river was recorded at 208.66 meters, much beyond the danger mark of 205.33 meters, said an official of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).
Knee-deep water was seen in areas in central parts of Delhi, including the part near the historic monument Red Fort. People in flood-affected areas were seen taking refuge at higher places like trees and roof tops of their houses.
Locals were also seen rescuing animals like dogs and cattle in the flood-affected areas.
Rail and road traffic too was adversely affected due to water entering roads and railway tracks.
Local officials and police are keeping a strict vigil over the low-lying areas flooded with river water.
Overseeing the flood-like situation, Special Commissioner of Police Deepender Pathak said, “We are here to evaluate the flood situation and the need for law and order and policing element.”
Another senior police officer Achin Garg visited the Yamuna Bank area to rescue the people residing in low-lying areas.
“We have rescued seven people,” Garg was quoted as saying. “We are trying to convince people and move them to safer grounds. People have never seen the water level rise to this level, and they do not want to believe that it would rise further. Convincing them has become a bit difficult.”
NDRF’s senior official Mohsen Shahidi reportedly said that they have evacuated around 2,500 people so far from different areas.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the DDMA was held during the day to assess the situation and made decisions including shutting down all educational institutions, setting up more relief camps, putting health infrastructure on alert, managing vehicular traffic, and encouraging working from home among government and private employees.
