Delhi News: PM Modi inquires about flood situation in national capital; Yamuna water level starts receding

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called Delhi LG Vinai Kumar Saxena from France and enquired about the waterlogging and flood situation in Delhi and efforts to deal with it. PM Modi gave directions for appropriate steps by taking all possible help from the Central government.

Delhi water minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday said that five gates at the ITO barrage are disrupting the flow of the Yamuna water.During an inspection of the barrage near the Delhi Secretariat, Bharadwaj said five of the 32 gates are jammed due to silt accumulation, hindering the quick drainage of river water.

An estimated Rs 200 crore worth of business has been affected due to rains and flooding in parts of the national capital, a traders' body said on Thursday.

Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora on Thursday visited the Old Iron Bridge at Gandhi Nagar and took stock of the situation as parts of the national capital were inundated by water from the Yamuna river that spilled onto the streets. Arora visited the bridge and other places with Special Commissioner (Law and Order) Dependra Pathak, Joint Commissioner (East) Chhaya Sharma, Deputy Commissioner (Shahdara) Rohit Meena, Deputy Commissioner (Northeast) Joy Tirkey and other officers.

A total of 16 NDRF teams have been deployed in Delhi to tackle the floods caused by the overflowing Yamuna and the situation is expected to improve by Friday morning, a senior NDRF officer said on Thursday.

Light to moderate rainfall is expected to continue in Delhi on Friday while a 'yellow' alert has been issued for July 15, the Met office has said. Delhi witnessed light rain on Thursday, adding to the severe waterlogging in the city's low-lying areas. Brief spells of light rain occurred in parts of central and south Delhi, including areas such as Lajpat Nagar, Saket, Malviya Nagar, Hauz Khas and Jangpura.

The Gautam Buddh Nagar administration on Thursday ordered that all schools up to Class 12 will remain closed across Noida and Greater Noida on Friday on account of the river Yamuna crossing the danger mark and chances of rain.

Roads turned into rivers and water gushed into houses, crematoriums and shelter homes, impairing daily life in the national capital, even as the Yamuna's water level stabilised after reaching 208.62 metres, smashing the all-time record set 45 years ago by a significant margin. As the Yamuna waters inundated more areas of Delhi and rescue efforts intensified, the city stared at a drinking water shortage. The Delhi government has decided to cut down supply by 25 per cent following the closure of three water treatment plants -- Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla. Central Water Commission (CWC) Director Sharad Chandra said the rate of water flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana dropped to 80,000 cusecs at 4 pm. "The water level has stabilised ... It is expected to drop to 208.45 metres by 3 am on Friday," he said.

Roads turned into rivers and water gushed into houses, medical facilities, crematoriums and shelter homes, impairing normal life and causing immense hardship for the people in the national capital as the Yamuna river water level rose to record high. Amid the flooding, the city is staring at drinking water shortage as the Delhi government decided to cut down supply by 25 per cent following the closure of three water treatment plants -- Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla -- due to the rising level of the Yamuna.The river swelled to a staggering 208.62 metres at 1 pm on Thursday, smashing the previous all-time record of 207.49 metres set 45 years ago by a significant margin.