Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal interacts with people at a flood relief camp following monsoon rains, at Mori Gate in New Delhi, Sunday, July 16, 2023. Delhi minister Atishi Singh is also seen. (PTI Photo)Delhi Flood Highlights: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced Rs 10,000 as financial aid for every flood-affected family in the national capital. “Many very poor families living on the banks of Yamuna have suffered a lot. In some families, the entire household goods were washed away,” he said. The CM assured that special camps would be organised for those whose papers like Aadhaar cards etc were lost during the floods. He also said that for children whose clothes and books were washed away, will be provided with the same on behalf of the schools.
CM Kejriwal visited the Mori Gate flood relief camp Sunday and took stock of the situation. “The level of water has reached 205.9 m. Water has receded from most areas, the other areas will also see normalcy return soon,” he said. “Houses on the low lying areas near Yamuna were inundated. Delhi government has set up relief camps for residents. Six districts of Delhi are affected. We have set up camps in schools and dharamshalas so that toilets and water are readily available. People said the water came all of a sudden and many have lost their documents like Aadhaar cards. We will set up special camps for them. Many children lost school books and uniform. We will make arrangements for them as well. There is a lot of muck in the area and we will send some dry soil there to help it dry. We are also trying to arrange for ad hoc relief for those who have lost their belongings,” he added.
Yamuna water level had come down to 205.85 metres by 1 pm, but is still slightly above the ‘danger mark’ of 205.33 m. It is likely to fall further to 205.47 m by 9 pm tonight, according to the Central Water Commission.
"Yamuna's water level is decreasing rapidly and we are hopeful that by tonight Yamuna's water level be below the danger level. Now, our priority is to get life back to normal and to set up relief & rehabilitation camps for those who had to evacuate their place. But there is still waterlogging in many parts of the city. We are pumping out water from the roads," says Delhi PWD Minister and AAP leader Atishi.
Lack of basic amenities like a mattress, no electricity: Complaints have been pouring in from several flood-relief camps set up by the Delhi government across the city.
Over the past week, as the Yamuna inundated their homes, hundreds of people living along the riverbanks and low-lying areas were shifted to relief camps located under flyovers and by the roadside. The Indian Express visited three such camps in Northeast Delhi’s Sonia Vihar and Khajoori Khas to speak to residents about the problems they are facing.
At Khajoori Khas, the camp is set up below the flyover and is sheltering 150 residents of Garhi Mandu village. Most of them work as rickshaw pullers, labourers and daily wagers. (Read More)
With a war of words waging on between bureaucrats and ministers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, officials in the office of Lieutenant Governor (L-G) VK Saxena said a meeting of the Apex Committee on flood preparation, headed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has not been held in the last two years.
The Delhi government, however, said that a meeting to discuss preparations was held in May itself and was attended by representatives of different departments. (Read More)
Hours after the Ring road was opened for traffic movement in both the carriageways between ISBT Kashmere Gate and Majnu ka Tilla, the Delhi Traffic Police said one carriageway (MKT to ISBT) has been closed again due to waterlogging
The Delhi BJP on Sunday demanded a judicial probe into whether any desilting of the Yamuna river and drains in the city was done by the AAP government, and if yes, how much money was spent on it.
"We demand a judicial probe into if any desilting of the Yamuna and the drains was conducted by the Kejriwal government and if yes, how much money was spent on it," he said.
Alleging "corruption" and "carelessness" of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Sachdeva said the meeting of the apex committee on flood control, headed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has not been held in the last two years. The BJP leader added that Kejriwal was campaigning in Haryana on July 9 when Delhi was heading towards flood and just after a week, he is now blaming the state for floods in Delhi. (PTI)
? More than 500 dead animals have been lifted by the veterinary department in the last two days
? 300 metric tonnes of silt has been lifted from Taimoor Nagar drain
The operation of Chandrawal Water Treatment Plant, DJB water supply to NDMC is likely to be restored soon and the situation in the NDMC area will improve with effect from tomorrow morning, according to an NDMC statement.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced Rs 10,000 as financial aid for every flood-affected family in the national capital.
“Many very poor families living on the banks of Yamuna have suffered a lot. In some families, the entire household goods were washed away,” he said.
The CM assured that special camps would be organised for those whose papers like Aadhaar cards etc were lost during the floods.
He also said that for children whose clothes and books were washed away, will be provided with the same on behalf of the schools.
As the flood relief camps are likely to continue to run in schools in the areas bordering the Yamuna river, all schools -- government, government-aided and private -- in the affected districts of Department of Education -- east, north-east, north-west-A, north, central and south-east shall remain closed for students on 17th and 18th July, an official Directorate of Education circular issued on Sunday stated.
New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) vice-chairman Satish Upadhyay on Sunday called upon residents of the New Delhi area to utilise water judiciously and limit its usage to essential requirements only.
This appeal came in the wake of the temporary closure of water treatment plants operated by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) at Wazirabad and Chandrawal that supply water to the NDMC area. The water treatment plants have now resumed operations.
Upadhyay said it was of utmost importance that all residents cut down their water consumption until further notice. (PTI)
The Delhi Fire Services Sunday rescued 10 people who first got trapped inside a lift at a club and then on the first floor of the building in the South Extension neighbourhood. The police said the incident took place around 12.45 am but the fire services were called nearly four-five hours later.
The Delhi Fire Services said they received a call around 5.20-5.30 am.
DFS Chief Atul Garg said firemen broke the glass windows on the first floor of the building and rescued the 10 persons using ladders. (Read More)
Images of floodwaters entering Delhi and inundating areas along the Ring Road in Delhi took me back to 1978, when a similar rise in water levels brought the floodplains and many roads under water. Things are the same, yet they are vastly different.
In 1978, the city’s population was only about 30 lakh. Today, we are at nearly 2 crore, and infrastructure projects and new settlements have come up along the river.
There was an outpouring of help then. Tents, similar to the ones we saw in Delhi over the past week, came up all along the Ring Road as people were evacuated from low-lying areas. The deluge did not last very long and the water receded within 4-5 days. AK Jain writes...
Hours after the Congress said that they will be opposing the Centre’s ordinance related to the control of services in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced that it will be taking part in the Opposition meet in Bengaluru tomorrow. (Read More)
Water supply in central Delhi is set to improve as the Chandrawal water treatment plant was reopened Sunday after floods forced the closure a few days ago, leading to water shortage for residents. The Okhla water treatment plant started at full capacity on Saturday evening, according to officials.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted Sunday morning, “Chandrawal water treatment plant has also started.”
Three water treatment plants, through which the city gets drinking water supply, were closed on Thursday after the water level in the Yamuna river reached 208.66 metres. (Read More)
Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Political Affairs Committee (PAC) is scheduled to hold a meeting today (Sunday) at 4 pm to discuss the opposition meeting.
The party had earlier said it would join the opposition meeting (to be held in Bengaluru) only if the Congress extended its support to the AAP in opposing the Delhi ordinance in Parliament.
Meanwhile, AAP leaders Durgesh Pathak, Raghav Chadha and Gopal Rai arrived at chief minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal's residence this afternoon.
The Delhi BJP on Sunday demanded a judicial probe into whether any desilting of Yamuna river and drains in the city was done by the AAP government, and if yes, how much money was spent on it.
Addressing a press conference, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva alleged no desilting of Yamuna and drains was carried out by the Kejriwal government and the flood in Delhi was caused because of this failure.
"We demand a judicial probe into if any desilting of Yamuna and the drains was conducted by Kejriwal government and if yes, how much money was spent on it," Sachdeva said. Alleging "corruption and carelessness" of AAP government as the reason behind the flood, Sachdeva said meeting of an apex committee on flood control, headed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has not been held in the last two years. (PTI)
The Congress on Sunday made it clear that it will not support the Centre's ordinance on the control of administrative services in Delhi.
With the Congress making its stand clear on the Delhi ordinance issue, general secretary K C Venugopal hoped that the AAP will now participate in the upcoming meeting of the opposition parties in Bengaluru.
“I think they are going to join the meeting tomorrow. This is our thinking,” The Congress leader said.
The AAP is, however, yet to make it clear if it will join the opposition meeting. The party had earlier said it would join the meeting only if the Congress extended its support to the AAP in opposing the Delhi ordinance in Parliament.
In their first meeting in Patna, the opposition parties resolved to take on the BJP unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. (PTI)
What is the Centre's ordinance on control of services in Delhi? Click here to read the Indian Express Explainer.
the Congress on Sunday made it clear that it will not support the Centre's ordinance on the control of administrative services in Delhi and will oppose any such attempt of the central government to "sabotage federalism" in the country.
"We are consistently opposing the attempts of the Union government to sabotage federalism. We are consistently opposing the attitude of the central government to run the opposition states through the governors. Our stand is very clear, we are not going to support the Delhi ordinance," party general secretary K C Venugopal said.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said the Congress' "unequivocal opposition" to the Delhi ordinance was "a positive development". (PTI)
? Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced the government will set up special camps for those whose Aadhaar cards and other documents were washed away in the floods.
? "The government will set up special camps for those whose Aadhaar cards and other key documents were washed away in the flood. We will again arrange for school dresses and books for students," Kejriwal told reporters.
? He said the government is pumping water out from waterlogged roads and life is slowly returning to normal. (PTI)
"We have opened relief camps in different areas for the people whose homes were inundated due to the overflowing of Yamuna...so many people have lost important documents like Aadhaar during the floods, a special camp will be put up for these people afterwards, we will provide textbooks and uniforms to children who have lost these things. We are also planning to give some ad-hoc relief to the people who have lost all their belongings in the flood, said Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.
Delhi mayor Shelly Oberoi today visited the flood-affected Priyadarshini Colony in Kashmere Gate. She assured the people that the government would set up camps so that they can reissue documents like the Aadhar card and voter id cards which people had lost during the floods.
"Here, people have told us that they lost so many important documents like Aadhaar & voter ID cards during the flood. We assure people that we will set up a camp so that they can make these government documents soon," said Delhi Mayor Dr Shelly Oberoi.
"Yamuna water level is going down at a good speed...in some time the water level will go below the danger mark...as the level of water will recede a little bit more, water on ITO road will enter into this..." said AAP Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj as he inspected ITO Yamuna Barrage.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the Mori Gate flood relief camp Sunday and took stock of the situation. “The level of water has reached 205.9 m. Water has receded from most areas, the other areas will also see normalcy return soon,” he said.
“Houses on the low lying areas near Yamuna were inundated. Delhi government has set up relief camps for residents. Six districts of Delhi are affected. We have set up camps in schools and dharamshalas so that toilets and water are readily available. People said the water came all of a sudden and many have lost their documents like Aadhaar cards. We will set up special camps for them. Many children lost school books and uniform. We will make arrangements for them as well. There is a lot of muck in the area and we will send some dry soil there to help it dry. We are also trying to arrange for ad hoc relief for those who have lost their belongings,” he added.
On being asked why Haryana has not been paid for the maintenance of five gates at the ITO Barrage which did not open when the water levels rise, Kejriwal said, "The money for maintenance has to be paid by NTPC, which comes under the Centre. If they are saying the Delhi government was to provide this money, they are wrong. They should ask NTPC why they weren't paid."
The water level of the Yamuna river at the Old Railway Bridge was 205.91 m at 11 am, slightly above the ‘danger mark’ of 205.33 m. It is likely to fall further to 205.47 m by 9 pm tonight, according to the Central Water Commission.
The Aam Aadmi Party hit out at Gautam Gambhir and Manoj Tiwari, Lok Sabha MPs from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sunday, calling them 'shameless' and accusing them of neglecting their constituencies.
"One is an MP from East Delhi and the other from North East Delhi, these areas have been affected the most by the floods. In such a situation, when both of them were supposed to be with the public, Gautam Gambhir has gone on a trip to Jaipur and Manoj Tiwari is holding a press conference in Bihar," the official handle of AAP tweeted.
"Have you ever seen such shameless MPs? Was it because of this that the people elected him? Are they not concerned about the lives of the people of Delhi?" it added.
CM Arvind Kejriwal visits the Mori Gate flood relief camp.
Two people, a 21-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy, who went to bathe in the flood water on the banks of river Yamuna in Makanpur Khadar village under Dankaur police station area, are missing since morning.
NDRF and local police team is searching for them with the help of divers.
While the Delhi Police had reopened a few roads after the water level at Yamuna river receded, police said the traffic movement is still affected on arterial roads due to waterlogging.
Police said many areas reported waterlogging due to rains, overflowing sewer water and river water.
For the last few days, police said they have been keeping a strict vigil on the roads for safety of citizens as the water level at Yamuna river crossed the 207-208 metres danger mark.
Read more
Floodwater outside the Supreme Court’s doorstep, resurrected by a sudden spell of rain on Saturday evening, has triggered a public showdown between the AAP government and its own bureaucracy — five years after it was first ignited. This comes a day before the top court is scheduled to hear arguments related to the validity of the Centre’s ordinance regarding control of services in the national capital.
It was in 2018 that bureaucrats had last publicly spoken out against the AAP government following the alleged manhandling of the then-Chief Secretary, Anshu Prakash by party legislators.
According to the AAP government, the flooding of VIP enclaves in Lutyens’ Delhi was not only a result of alleged insubordination by some of the most senior civil servants posted in the capital – an issue which had grown more problematic for it since the ordinance came into effect in May – but part of a “conspiracy” against the apex court itself.
Jatin Anand reports
Ten persons were rescued from a lift at Code Bar & Kitchen in South Ex early Sunday.
According to the Delhi Fire Services, they received a call from the club's staff reporting the lift being stuck. All ten individuals were safely evacuated by breaking the glass window and using ladders.
AAP's Political Affairs Committee will hold a meeting at 4 pm today to discuss the upcoming Opposition parties meeting in Bengaluru.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will also join the PAC meeting through video conferencing.
A dot that marks the Old Railway Bridge (ORB) near the Red Fort in Delhi, on a map on the Central Water Commission’s (CWC) website, went from yellow to orange to red in three days last week — indicating progressively rising water levels in the Yamuna over which the bridge is built.
The river breached the ‘danger’ level of 205.33 m on Monday evening, prompting the CWC to change the dot from yellow to orange. On Tuesday, the peak discharge from the Hathnikund Barrage upstream, in Haryana, stood at 3.59 lakh cusecs, against a normal discharge of around 352 cusecs.
On Wednesday, the dot went from orange to red, when the rising water crossed the Highest Flood Level (HFL), or the highest-ever level that the river has recorded at the bridge — 207.49 m. It remained red till Saturday morning, when the water had receded, after Delhi had seen its worst-ever recorded flood in 45 years.
We take a look at why Delhi got flooded
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Sunday said that the Chandrawal water treatment plant has started working again.
Immediately after returning to Delhi from abroad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday spoke to Lt Governor V K Saxena to enquire about the progress made in dealing with the flood-like situation in the national capital, officials said.
Water inundated several parts of Delhi following massive rains as Yamuna flowed above the danger mark. However, the river's water level followed a downward trend on Saturday, allowing authorities to open roads and ease traffic movement as floodwaters receded from many areas.
An official said, "Immediately on his arrival in Delhi, PM spoke to LG of Delhi about the status of the flood-like situation in Delhi due to Yamuna river and the progress achieved in mitigation." Modi was on a three-day visit to France and the UAE. (PTI)
Traffic is affected in the carriageway from Delhi Gate towards India Gate due to waterlogging under Tilak bridge. Kindly avoid the stretch: Delhi Traffic Police
Heavy rain lashed several areas of Delhi on Saturday, causing waterlogging and traffic congestion in the city, parts of which are already reeling from flooding over the past few days.
The rain brought the mercury in the city down a notch to 34.6 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department said. The minimum temperature had settled at 27 degrees Celsius.
For Sunday, the weather office has predicted generally cloudy skies with light to moderate rain and thundershowers. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 34 and 26 degrees Celsius, respectively. (PTI)
According to the IMD thunderstorms with light to moderate intensity rain and gusty winds with speed of 30-40 Km/h are expected to occur over and adjoining areas of few places of Delhi ( Lodi Road, Nehru Stadium, Vasant Vihar, R K Puram, Defence Colony, Lajpat Nagar, Vasant Kunj, Hauzkhas, Malviyanagar, Kalkaji, Mahrauli, Tughlakabad), NCR ( Loni Dehat, Hindon AF Station, Ghaziabad, Noida,Dadri, Greater Noida) Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Karnal, Panipat (Haryana) Gangoh, Shamli, Kandhla, Meerut, Khekra, Modinagar, Pilakhua, Badayun (U.P.) . Light intensity rain/drizzle would occur over and adjoining areas of many places of Delhi , NCR ( Bahadurgarh, Indirapuram, Chhapraula) Sonipat, Kharkhoda, Mattanhail, Jhajjar (Haryana) Viratnagar, Laxmangarh, Rajgarh (Rajasthan) during next 2 hours.
Amid complaints of lack of access to healthcare from residents shifted to relief camps after the Yamuna flooded their homes, the Delhi government’s health department has set up medical facilities to monitor any cases of infection or snake bite.
Officials from the health department said that a total of 27 ambulances have been stationed at 28 relief camps set up by district magistrates and an equal number are on standby.
“In addition to this, 23 ambulances have also been placed at the affected sites (during evacuation) and deployed after the river breached the danger mark,” an official said. (Read More)
? The Aam Aadmi Party has set up a 'Flood Relief Kitchen' at the party headquarters to supply meals to the people displaced by floods. The announcement was made by AAP Delhi State Convenor Gopal Rai at a press conference here.
? Rai said there were currently more than 40 relief camps set up by the Arvind Kejriwal government to rescue the stranded from low-lying areas near the Yamuna River.
? The state minister said that all his cabinet peers and MLAs and councillors from the party have been instructed to visit their areas and help people affected by the floods.
? Rai said the Delhi government has appointed coordinators for all 40 camps to assess the food needs of the inmates so that they don't fall short. (PTI)
A fire broke out on the ninth floor of the DCM building at Barakhamba Road on Saturday evening. Ten fire tenders have been rushed to the site, informed Delhi Fire Service Chief Atul Garg.
? Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday held a Cabinet meeting and deputed ministers at six flood-affected districts to ensure proper facilities at relief camps set up by the Delhi government.
? Orders will be issued shortly to officers to report, and coordinate and cooperate with ministers to ensure proper facilities such as food, water, toilets and electricity at flood relief camps, Minister for Irrigation and Flood Control Saurabh Bharadwaj said.
? PWD Minister Atishi will look after facilities at camps in the North East Delhi district, while Gopal Rai has been deputed for Shahdara, Kailash Gahlot for South East Delhi and Imran Hussain for the Central Delhi district, he said.
? Bharadwaj will look after the camps in the East Delhi district. (PTI)
"CM Kejriwal held a meeting with all ministers regarding flood and relief work in Delhi...Relief and rehabilitation camps have been set up and facilities like food, electricity, water and medical will be provided to them...Responsibility for relief and rescue operations in six flood-affected districts divided among six ministers. We have informed LG VK Saxena about the condition...," says Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj on the flood situation in Delhi
"My team and I came here & carried out an initial assessment and musted our resources. After analyzing the situation we came to the conclusion that there is a requirement of a Bund...We mustered our resources and started construction of the initial Bund which took around 8-9 hours. The Bund is preventing Yamuna river from entering the city...," says Col Tejinder Singh, Corps of Engineers Indian Army on the ongoing flood relief work at drain 1 at the ITO site.
Yamuna water level was logged at 206.97 metres at 5 pm on Saturday.
Accusing them of criminally conspiring against the people of Delhi, deliberately allowing the flooding of sensitive VIP parts of the city and seeking to embarrass the Supreme Court, Saurabh Bharadwaj, in his capacity as Irrigation and Flood Control Department minister, writes to LG VK Saxena demanding the strictest possible action against CS Naresh Kumar, Divisional Commissioner, Ashwani Kumar, Principal Secretary (I&FC) Ashish Kundra
Bharadwaj has alleged that these officers deliberately overlooked the directions of two ministers to call the Engineers' Regiment of the Indian Army and NDRF at the “appropriate time” on the preceding night (when the regulator at WHO building near ITO had malfunctioned on Thursday)
Yamuna water level was logged at 207.07 metres at 4 pm on Saturday.