Delhi Flood News LIVE: Schools Closed till Sunday, Says CM Kejriwal, Urges Pvt Offices to Allow WFH

An estimated 72 per cent of districts in India are exposed to extreme flood events but only 25 per cent of them have level flood forecasting stations, or early warning systems, a new report said on Thursday.

Despite high exposure to floods, Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim are the best performing states in terms of flood early warning systems (EWS), according to the report by independent policy research think tank The Council on Energy Environment and Water.

The report showed that Himachal Pradesh, currently battling massive floods, is among the states with the lowest availability of EWS. Uttarakhand, on the other hand, is moderately exposed to extreme flood events but has a high availability of flood EWS, it said.

With Yamuna levels rising to a record high, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority on Thursday directed that non-essential government offices, schools and colleges be closed till Sunday, officials said.

Private establishments are advised to work from home, they said. The decision was made at the DDMA meeting held at the LG Secretariat here on Thursday.

“Commercial establishments around Kashmere Gate to be asked to close till Sunday. Buses coming to ISBT will stop at Singhu Border, and DTC buses will ferry people from there,” the officials added. Several key areas in Delhi, including the Secretariat housing the chief minister’s office, were flooded on Thursday, impairing normal life and traffic movement as authorities scrambled to lead rescue and relief efforts. The Yamuna flowed at 208.53 metres at 10 am on Thursday, breaking the 45-year-old record, officials said.

Laksar | Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inspects flood-affected areas in various districts. He reviewed relief and rescue works in these areas.

The Delhi government has banned the entry of heavy goods vehicles, barring those carrying essentials, in the city from four borders including Singhu as a precautionary measure in view of the rising Yamuna levels, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said on Thursday. Sharing a copy of the order issued by the Transport Department on Twitter, he said. “Entry of Heavy Goods Vehicles has been banned from Singhu Border, Badarpur Border, Loni Border and Chilla Border as a precautionary measure in view of abnormally rising water level of Yamuna River.” “On the other hand, interstate buses coming from Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand will stop at Singhu border instead of going to ISBT Kashmeri Gate,” Gahlot said in a tweet in Hindi. There is no restriction on vehicles carrying essential services such as food and petroleum products, he added.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said water supply may be affected in parts of the city with the shutting down of treatment plants at Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla following rising levels of the Yamuna.

The Yamuna swelled to a staggering 208.48 metres Thursday morning, inundating nearby streets and public and private infrastructure, and causing immense hardships to people living in close proximity to the river.

Inspecting the Wazirabad treatment plant, Kejriwal said all arrangements are being made to provide relief to the people. “Due to increase in the Yamuna water level, many water treatment plants had to be closed. I personally visited the Wazirabad plant on the banks of the Yamuna. We will start it as soon as the situation returns to normalcy,” he tweeted.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal says, “We had a DDMA meeting. Several important decisions were taken. Schools, colleges & universities will remain closed till Sunday. All Govt offices, except those providing essential services, will have Work from Home. Advisory is being issued for private offices too to Work for Home. Water rationing will have to be done as 3 Water Treatment Plants are shut and people will face water crisis for a day or two. Heavy vehicles, except those providing essential services, that enter Delhi will not be allowed. There were issues of toilets and bathrooms at relief camps. So, the camps are being shifted to schools.”

More than 300 mail and express trains and 406 passenger trains have been cancelled between July 7 and July 15 due to waterlogging on tracks following heavy rainfall over the past few days, officials said on Thursday. Overall, about 600 mail/express trains and over 500 passenger trains have been affected by waterlogging, they said.

Northwest India saw incessant rainfall over three days from Saturday, with many areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan recording “heavy to extremely heavy” rains. This resulted in overflowing rivers, creeks and drains that massively damaged infrastructure and disrupted essential services in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab.

Northern Railways, which caters to this region has cancelled around 300 mail/express trains, short-terminated 100 trains and diverted 191 more. It has also short-originated around 67 trains, the officials said. Due to heavy waterlogging, Northern Railways also cancelled 406 passenger trains, diverted 28 trains, short-originated 56 and short-terminated 54 trains, they said.

“Movement of traffic is restricted on Lala Hardev Sahai Marg in the carriageway from ISBT, Kashmere Gate towards Tis Hazari due to the rise in water level of Yamuna river. Kindly plan your journey accordingly,” Delhi traffic police said in a tweet.

Nonessential government offices, schools, and colleges are to remain closed in Delhi till Sunday. Private establishments are to be advised to work from home.

Commercial establishments around Kashmere Gate are to be asked to close till Sunday. Buses coming to ISBT stopped at Singhu Border, and DTC buses to ferry people.

Rising water level of River Yamuna | Delhi Govt has banned the entry of Heavy Good Vehicles from the Singhu Border, Badarpur Border, Loni Border, and Chilla Border. Interstate buses from Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, J&K, and Uttarakhand terminating at ISBT Kashmere Gate will terminate at the Sindhu border. A Police van stuck in flood water near the Kashmere Gate area in Delhi.

As low-lying areas of Delhi are getting waterlogged due to the swelling of River Yamuna, 12 teams of NDRF have arrived in the city and are currently working on the field.

With Yamuna levels rising to a record high, several key areas in Delhi including the Secretariat housing the chief minister’s office were flooded on Thursday, impairing normal life and traffic movement, as authorities scrambled to lead rescue and relief efforts.

Areas like Boat Club, Pandav Nagar, some parts of Gandhi Nagar, Bhajanpura were inundated with floodwaters. According to officials, locals in some areas showed reluctance in moving out even as water reached their homes. The Delhi Secretariat housing offices of Chief Minister Kejriwal, his cabinet and other senior bureaucrats, was too flooded on Thursday.

The road from Rajghat to Delhi Secretariat was also flooded. Officials said the Ring Road stretch between Kashmere Gate and Purana Lohe Ka Pul has been flooded and closed for traffic movement. An order by the District Magistrate (East) said Shamshan Ghat in Geeta Colony has been closed due to the extreme rise in water levels.

Entry and exit of passengers at the Yamuna Bank Metro Station on the Blue Line has been temporarily closed due to the rising water levels of the Yamuna river, officials said on Thursday. T

he swollen Yamuna has crossed the danger mark, breaching the all-time record of 1978, flooding low-lying areas near the banks.

“Entry and exit at Yamuna Bank Metro Station has been temporarily closed due to the rising water levels of the Yamuna River. However, interchange facility is still available and services on Blue Line are running normally. Kindly plan your journey accordingly,” the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) tweeted.

The Pragati Maidan tunnel here has been opened for vehicular traffic after remaining closed for four days due to waterlogging following heavy rainfall in the national capital, police said on Thursday.

With many parts of the city under water on Thursday, restrictions were imposed on vehicular movement on some roads, leading to traffic congestion including around Pragati Maidan.

“Pragati Maidan Tunnel is now open for vehicular traffic. Commuters are advised to plan their journey accordingly,” the Delhi Traffic Police said in a tweet.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said water supply may be affected in parts of the city with the shutting down of treatment plants at Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla following rising levels of the Yamuna. The Yamuna river swelled to a staggering 208.48 metres Thursday morning, inundating nearby streets and public and private infrastructure, and causing immense hardships to people living in close proximity to the river.

The water level at the Old Railway Bridge crossed the 208-metre mark Wednesday night and rose to 208.48 metres by 8 am on Thursday. It is expected to rise further, according to the Central Water Commission, which has termed it an “extreme situation”.

“The water treatment plants at Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla are being shut due to rising Yamuna water level. Due to this, there will be a problem of water supply in some areas. These plants will start functioning as soon as the Yamuna water recedes,” he tweeted in Hindi. .

Two moderate-intensity, back-to-back earthquakes shook Lahaul and Spiti district in Himachal Pradesh, officials said on Thursday.

No loss of life and property was reported in any part of the district, they said.

Two earthquakes of 3.2 and 3.1 magnitudes with a depth of 10 kilometres were reported at 9.30 pm and 11.07 pm on Wednesday, the meteorological department said.  Tribal Lahaul and Spiti falls in seismic zone 4, which is a high-damage-risk zone.

“We are here to evaluate the flood situation and the need for law & order and policing element…We are assessing it. If the situation worsens, we have maintained holistic coordination and cooperation with the units of NDRF, local administration, and municipality…the ultimate goal is that people should have any inconvenience…Our field formation is active on the ground…The entire Delhi Police force is working to tackle the current emergency situation…,” says Delhi Police Special CP Deepender Pathak on the flood-like situation.

Due to the increased water level of the Yamuna River, traffic on Pusta Road, stretching from Shamshaan Ghat in Geeta Colony to the Old Iron Bridge in Gandhi Nagar, has been redirected. Commuters are advised to take an alternate route via Raja Ram Kohli Marg or Master Plan Road to reach Swami Dayanand Marg and then proceed to GT Road in Shahdara. It is recommended that commuters plan their journeys accordingly.

“After the water level of Yamuna reached 208.46 metres, Delhi there is a flood situation. On the instructions of CM Arvind Kejriwal ji, we are present at Ground Zero to provide relief to all the people,” tweets AAP’s Durgesh Pathak.

“Due to rising water levels of the Yamuna, trains are passing through all the four Metro bridges on the river with a restricted speed of 30 kmph as a precautionary measure. Normal services on all corridors,” tweets DMRC.