Politics
'Seek Help Of Army, NDRF': Delhi CM Kejriwal Directs Officials As Yamuna Floodwater Enters City
Pic Via Twitter
Delhi's ITO crossing area, the busiest traffic intersection in the national capital, is experiencing flooding due to a broken drain regulator and rising water levels in the Yamuna river.
In a tweet earlier today, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal confirmed that the breach in the regulator is the cause of the flooding and has directed officials to urgently seek assistance from the Army and disaster relief force to fix it.
Despite the administration's teams working all-night to fix the damage to the water regulator, the water from the Yamuna river continues to enter the city through the breach.
"This breach is causing flooding of ITO and surroundings. Engineers have been working whole nite (sic). I have directed the Chief Secretary to seek help of Army/NDRF but this shud be fixed urgently," Kerjiwal tweeted, quoting his cabinet minister Saurabh Bharadwaj's earlier tweet, reports NDTV.
In his tweet, Bharadwaj, who is also the chairman of Delhi Jal Board, said, "Whole night, our teams worked to fix the damage at regulator of drain no 12 near WHO building. Still, the water of Yamuna is entering the city through this breach. The Govt has directed Chief Secretary to take it up on highest priority".
The drain regulator, located between the Indraprastha bus depot and the WHO building on Delhi's Ring Road, broke down around 7 pm yesterday.
As a result, water from central Delhi is flowing back into the drain, which normally carries it to the Yamuna river. This back-flow is the reason behind the flooding in ITO and the surrounding areas.
In the ITO area, loose electric wires have become a cause for concern. The area has been barricaded to prevent vehicles from entering, but pedestrians are experiencing electric shocks from the metal fence on the road divider.
To address this issue, the authorities have temporarily cut off the power supply to the electric poles.
The water level of the Yamuna river at Old Railway Bridge (ORB) has risen above the danger mark, reaching 208.40 meters as of 9 am today.
The continuous rainfall throughout the week, combined with the release of water from the Hathnikund barrage in Yamuna Nagar district, Haryana, has led to the river overflowing into parts of Delhi.
Despite assurances from the Delhi government that they were prepared and that floods were unlikely, the situation has worsened,
According to the Central Water Commission, the water levels are expected to decrease today and could reach 208.30 meters by 1 pm.
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