The Delhi Traffic Police has urged people to avoid the stretch between Monastery and ISBT, Kashmere Gate.
Water from the Yamuna River, which has swelled to a record-breaking level and shattered a 45-year-old record, reached the Ring Road in North Delhi this evening, causing waterlogging and traffic jams.
Issuing a warning, the Delhi Traffic Police handle tweeted, "Traffic is affected on Ring road between Monastery and ISBT, Kashmere Gate due to overflowing Yamuna river water. Kindly avoid the stretch."
Traffic Alert
— Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) July 12, 2023
Traffic is affected on Ring road between Monastery and ISBT, Kashmere Gate due to overflowing Yamuna river water. Kindly avoid the stretch. pic.twitter.com/frUaY4WmnX
With a total length of 47 km, the Outer Ring Road encircles Delhi and is a key connector in the city. It links areas like Rohini, IIT Flyover and the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) at Kashmere Gate, which is an important entry-exit point for both private and public vehicles.
Earlier in the day, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged residents in low-lying areas near the river to move out. "We have to protect lives and properties. People in low-lying areas near the Yamuna River need to be evacuated," Mr Kejriwal said.
The chief minister also held an emergency meeting and requested the centre to ensure that no more water is released from the Hatnikund barrage in Haryana.
The Yamuna swelled to 207.71 meters in Delhi today, surpassing its previous record of 207.49 meters, which had been set in 1978.
Homes and markets in Delhi have been flooded and many residents living near the river have been forced to move to the terrace with their belongings. NDTV spoke to shopowners in the Monastery Market in the Old Delhi area who were struggling to remove the items in their shops even as the water level kept rising.
"The last time we saw so much water was in 2013. Flooding destroys our shops and ruins our stocks. We suffer big losses," a shopkeeper said.
