Schools, Colleges Shut Till Sunday, WFH For Govt Employees As Delhi Battles Unprecedented Floods

The Delhi Government on Thursday announced that all schools and colleges in the national capital will remain shut as the flooding in River Yamuna continues to rise.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that all government officials, except those providing essential services, will work from home till Sunday.

BCCL

He added that private firms in Delhi have also been urged to allow their employees to work from home for the next couple of days.

No entry for heavy vehicles

Apart from this, the government has also banned the entry of heavy vehicles, except those providing essential services to the national capital.

Commercial vehicles will be diverted from Mukarba Chowk, Sarai Kale Khan, Ghazipur border, and from Akshardham towards DND.

No commercial vehicles will be allowed between Mukarba Chowk and Wazirabad Bridge, Sarai Kale Khan, and IP Flyover, and Akshardham and Sarai Kale Khan.

Unprecedented flooding in Delhi

The steps are being taken as Delhi is battling an unprecedented flood situation due to continued rains and rising water levels in River Yamuna.

AFP

The water level in River Yamuna has touched 208.6 metres, and according to the Delhi government, the situation will start improving by Thursday evening.

Delhi's water supply disrupted

The water level rise in River Yamuna has also disrupted the water supply in the national capital as three treatment plants in Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla have been shut down temporarily.

AFP

Low-lying areas inundated

Several low-lying areas of the city are still under water as the water level in Yamuna continues to rise following heavy rainfall and the release of water from the Hathnikund Barrage in neighbouring Haryana.

Areas like Boat Club, Pandav Nagar, some parts of Gandhi Nagar, and Bhajanpura were inundated with floodwaters. According to officials, locals in some areas showed reluctance to move out even as water reached their homes.

Due to the rise in the water level and inundation of low-lying areas, traffic movement has been impaired in several places.

BCCL

The Delhi Secretariat housing offices of Chief Minister Kejriwal, his cabinet and other senior bureaucrats were too flooded on Thursday.

Record water level rise in Yamuna

Delhi recorded a rapid increase in the Yamuna's water level over the past three days.

It shot up from 203.14 metres at 11 am on Sunday to 205.4 metres at 5 pm on Monday, breaching the danger mark of 205.33 metres 18 hours earlier than expected.

BCCL

The river exceeded the evacuation mark of 206 metres Monday night, prompting the relocation of people residing in flood-prone areas to safer locations and the closure of the Old Railway Bridge for road and rail traffic. The water level breached the previous all-time record of 207.49 metres by 1 pm on Wednesday and the 208-metre mark by 10 pm.

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