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Wearing a surgical cap and clutching a toy, 8-year-old Krishna lay on a cot near the Geeta Colony flyover in Delhi. He had recently undergone a surgery for a brain tumor, and cannot see or hear.
His grandmother Kimintra Devi (55) is worried. Yet to get accommodation in one of the 20 relief camps set up near the flyover for people from low-lying areas near Yamuna, she and Krishna are staying right on the road. “I was at the hospital in the morning when the police ordered us to leave our house. I have only come here with the clothes we are wearing and his medicines,” she said.
On Tuesday, with high volumes of water being released from Wazirabad and Hathnikund barrages, the Yamuna in Delhi crossed the evacuation mark – 206 m – for the first time this year.
At 9 pm, the Yamuna level was recorded at 206.36 m at the Old Railway Bridge, which has been closed to traffic. The level is likely to reach 206.9 m by 7 am on Wednesday, the Ministry of Jal Shakti said in its forecast.
By 9 pm, the river received a discharge of 176,000 cusecs from the Hathnikund Barrage and 93,260 cusecs from the Wazirabad Barrage, an official from the Central Flood Control Room said. Typically, the water released from these barrages takes approximately 48 to 50 hours to reach Delhi.
At the relief camps, jhuggi dwellers said they are scared of a repeat of July 2023 when Yamuna had recorded its highest level of 208.66 m.
Shaymavati (60), who has shifted to a camp, said going back home seems like a distant dream now. “After the water recedes, we will have to wait for the soil to dry, then only we can go back. This is happening every year now.”
At a distance, Chandri sat surrounded by a circle of women, guarding their household items covered in black tarpaulin. “I did not get a tent last year either,” she said.
Staying in tents has also come as a blow to schoolchildren. Ajeej Khan (47), whose children are in classes 10 and 12, said: “We had stayed in camps for over a month in 2010, 2013 and 2023 as the water took a long time to recede. The education of my children gets affected.”
Chinta Devi, who is staying in a makeshift tent at an elevated platform under the flyover, said the number of jhuggis should be counted and then camps set up and allotted in a systematic manner. “I have all the required documents but still I am not allotted a camp.”
Anjali (20), another jhuggi dweller, said she is carrying printouts of her books, which get washed away every year. “We left home early yesterday evening as it gets dark after that and snakes come out…,” she added as mud-covered school shoes and ID card hung inside a jhuggi she has taken shelter temporarily.
The day saw Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta inspecting the areas along the Yamuna and visiting people staying in camps. Maintaining that the government is fully prepared to handle the situation, she posted on X, “The Delhi government and all departments are fully alert. The situation is being monitored throughout the day. Extensive desilting work done in the Yamuna, and drains in the last six months is now showing clear benefits. All the gates are open, and the water is not stagnating anywhere. The water is flowing forward unhindered at the same speed at which it is coming.”
Meanwhile, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) Vice-Chairman Kuljeet Singh Chahal said “concrete and immediate” measures have been to deal with challenges posed by the rising Yamuna.
To prevent waterlogging and drain backflow, a modern sump with a capacity of five lakh litres has been constructed at Purana Qila Road, he added. Chahal said a proposal for the de-silting of Kushak Nallah and Ring Road Nallah, which often overflow during heavy rain, will be placed before the council for approval.
The Congress, meanwhile, accused the BJP-led Delhi government of abandoning flood-hit residents in East Delhi’s Badarpur Khadar village, where Yamuna waters have submerged large areas. Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav, who visited the area, said that relief camps have been set up selectively “only for show” while thousands remain without tents. “Delhi is drowning in the flood waters of Yamuna due to the Rekha Gupta Government’s incompetence and inaction, putting thousands of poor people in great difficulty, without food, water and tents…,” he claimed.
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