Delhi floods: what's obstructing flow of Yamuna? Delhi minister answers

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.

"We are actively working to open these gates. A compressor has been brought from the Kondli plant to remove the silt surrounding the gates. If the gates fail to open, gas cutters will be used," he said.

Somnath Bharti, the Delhi Jal Board vice-chairman, meanwhile, shared a video on Twitter that purports to show a dry canal and accused the BJP-led Haryana government of diverting flood water from the Hathnikund barrage to Delhi while other channels remain dry.

"Someone residing near Hathnikund has shared this video, which clearly shows that one channel supposedly leading towards Uttar Pradesh is completely dry, while Hathnikund surplus water is being diverted towards Delhi. This raises an important question that demands an answer. Is the unprecedented flooding orchestrated by the BJP as a political vendetta against the people of Delhi for consistently electing the Aam Aadmi Party since 2013?" he said in the tweet.

The ferocious Yamuna turned roads into rushing streams, parks into watery labyrinths, and homes and shelters into submerged realms, severely disrupting daily life in the national capital.

The water level, however, stabilised after reaching 208.62 metres, smashing the all-time record set 45 years ago by a significant margin.

As water from the Yamuna inundated more areas of Delhi and rescue efforts intensified, the city stared at a drinking water shortage.

The Delhi government said the inundation of a pump house at Wazirabad impeded operations at Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla water treatment plants, leading to a 25 per cent drop in water supply.

Central Water Commission Director Sharad Chandra said the rate of water flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana dropped to 80,000 cusecs at 4.00 pm.

"The water level has stabilised ... It is expected to drop to 208.45 metres by 3.00 am on Friday," he told PTI.

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority on Thursday directed that non-essential government offices, schools and colleges be closed till Sunday.

The city government has banned the entry of heavy goods vehicles, barring those carrying essential items, into the city from the four borders, including Singhu.

With vehicular movement in the national capital, especially east Delhi, severely impaired by the closure of roads due to the overflowing Yamuna, the city's traffic police issued an advisory on the restrictions and regulation.

According to the advisory, traffic has been impaired on the Mahatma Gandhi Marg between the IP flyover and Chandgi Ram Akhara as well as between Kalighat Mandir and Delhi Secretariat, and on the Outer Ring Road between Wazirabad Bridge and Chandgi Ram Akhara.

The Delhi Metro, the city's lifeline, was also hit as water from the raging Yamuna spilled onto the roads.

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