Floods are unlikely in Delhi, evacuation of people around Yamuna if river hits 206-metre mark: Kejriwal
The evacuation of people from low-lying areas around Yamuna will start once the river touches the 206-metre mark, said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday (July 10).
However, he assured the people that experts have said the flood situation might not arise in the national capital. Floods are unlikely in Delhi, he said, quoting predictions made by experts.
After holding a meeting over the torrential rains and the rising Yamuna water levels, Kejriwal addressed a press conference, stating that the government was closely monitoring the situation and was fully prepared to tackle it.
“The unprecedented rain caused problems to people and Delhi’s system was not able to withstand it. Every year after rainfall, some vulnerable areas are waterlogged and the water is drained out in a couple of hours. But the 153 mm of rainfall was unprecedented and an event which happened in nearly 40 years,” he said.
Also read: Flood warning in Delhi after Haryana discharges water from Hathnikund barrage
The Yamuna on Monday inched closer to the warning mark in Delhi, as Haryana released more water into the river from the Hathnikund barrage amid persistent rains in the upper catchment areas.
According to a flood bulletin, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge increased from 203.18 metres at 1 pm on Sunday to 203.58 metres at 10 am on Monday. The warning level is 204.5 metres.
The water level is anticipated to rise to 205.5 metres between 10 am and 12 noon on Tuesday, crossing the danger mark of 205.33 metres.
Also read: First spell of monsoon wreaks havoc in Delhi: 1 dead, ‘yellow’ alert issued for SundayÂ
The chief minister said they were in touch with the Central Water Commission and asserted that weather predictions indicate that even though there will be more rains, they would not be quite heavy.
“Due to rains, there might have been some potholes that could have formed on roads. They will be filled with stones to avert any untoward incident. We have also ordered an inquiry into incidents of road cave-in. The area under New Delhi Municipal Council, which is a VVIP area, witnessed waterlogging. We have asked them (NDMC) to resolve the issues,” he said.
(With input from agencies)
