Delhi Rains: Red Fort, Delhi Secretariat under flood waters

New Delhi: The water level in Yamuna has been rising resulting in inundation of several areas including the historic Red Fort, the state secretariat which has the office of the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Flood water was seen gushing through the roads around Red Fort resulting traffic issues.

According to officials, the water level has risen to a record high of 208.53 metres on Thursday which is said to be record high in 45 years. The road in front of the Red Fort is in knee deep water.

The government has announced closure of schools and colleges in Delhi till Sunday, and private sector employees have been advised to work from home. With water levels expected to rise further, Delhi has imposed prohibitory orders in affected areas and 12 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed for rescue efforts.

It may be recalled that Delhi has been witnessing excessive rainfall since Saturday. Weather office has predicted “high intensity” rainfall over next two or three days due to western disturbance. Opposition parties including BJP said that Delhi’s sewerage infrastructure was not designed to take that kind of heavy rain.

Release of more than 1,00,000 cusecs of water from Hathnikund barrage into Yamuna river officials say triggered the floods as the flood prone areas around Yamuna got inundated.

Encroachments on the river's floodplain have occurred over the years, despite the land belonging to the Delhi Development Authority, the revenue department and private individuals. A study on 'Urban Flooding and its Management' by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department identifies east Delhi under the floodplain region and highly vulnerable to floods.