'G20 Summit to be Held So If Flood...': Kejriwal Sends SOS to Centre As Delhi Yamuna Breaches Danger Mark

As the Yamuna river is flowing in Delhi at all-time record levels amid heavy rainfall, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah that a limited quantity of water should be released from Haryana’s Hathnikund barrage so that the water level does not increase further.

In a letter to Shah, Kejriwal said the G20 summit is scheduled to be held in September in the national capital and underlined that the news of the flood in Delhi will not send a good message to the world.

Follow Monsoon Rain Latest Updates Here

Yamuna River in Delhi has touched 207.55 metres, breaching its all-time record of 207.49 metres, which it clocked in 1978, said government agencies on Wednesday.

Kejriwal said there have been no rains in Delhi last three days and pointed out that levels of Yamuna are rising due to abnormally high volumes of water being released by Haryana at Hathnikund barrage.

The Delhi CM said when the water level reached 207.49 metres in 1978, there was a flood and the situation became grave.

Kejriwal said he got a call from Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who said that Hathnikund is just a barrage and there is no reservoir to store water and limit the water speed. “The water volume being released from Himachal Pradesh has reduced and the situation will improve. But it will take time to reflect in the water level of the Yamuna,” he said at a press conference.

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal called an emergency meeting of senior officers of all departments at the Delhi Secretariat.

People Being Evacuated From Low-lying Areas Near Yamuna

Thousands of people have been evacuated and shifted to safer places due to the rising level of the Yamuna river in the national capital.

An advisory has been issued by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority requesting people to move to safer places and cautioning them against passing through low-lying areas. As the flood situation persisted in the Yamuna river, people should stay away from power lines and reach out to the helpline 1077 in case of any need, it said.

Delhi Cabinet Minister Atishi visited relief camps to take stock of the flood situation and the preventive measures taken. She said the Delhi government is strengthening river embankments and evacuating people out of the floodplains. According to officials, Garhi Mandu village near the Signature Bridge in Wazirabad has been submerged. A majority of the people have been taken to safety and the rest are being rescued using boats, they said.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police imposed prohibitory measures under CrPC section 144, which prevents unlawful assembly of four or more persons and public movement in groups, in flood-prone areas of the city.

Delhi’s Traffic Advisory, Routes to Avoid

The roads near Yamuna Outer Ring Road (between Wazirabad Bridge and Vikas Marg) and Mahatma Gandhi Road (between Kalighat Mandir and Delhi Secretariat) will be regulated by traffic police.

Movement of commercial vehicles within Delhi will be contained primarily on Ring Road. Commercial vehicles moving from Rani Jhansi Road to ISBT will be diverted towards Vir Banda Bairagi Marg and New Rohtak Road.

In case of flooding in the vicinity of ISBT Kashmiri Gate, buses coming from the Ghaziabad side will be terminated near Seelampur Metro Station. Other vehicular traffic coming from the Ghaziabad side will be diverted to Pushta Road.

Traffic coming from Wazirabad Bridge to Majnu Ka Tila will be diverted towards Mukarba Chowk while traffic coming from Boulevard Road to ISBT will be diverted towards Shamnath Marg and Mahatma Gandhi Marg.