River Yamuna Reclaiming Its Natural Path? Old Photos, Mughal-Era Paintings Go Viral After Floods In Delhi
The Yamuna River has been flowing above the danger mark of 205.33 metres since Sunday. It breached the previous all-time record of 207.49 metres on Wednesday. The water level in River Yamuna went up further on Thursday, reaching 208.66 metres.
Parts of Delhi are battling an unprecedented flood situation caused by recent rains and flooding in River Yamuna.
The Yamuna River has been flowing above the danger mark of 205.33 metres since Sunday and breached the previous all-time record of 207.49 metres on Wednesday.
BCCL
The water level in River Yamuna went up further on Thursday, reaching 208.66 metres, forcing the Delhi government to press the panic button.
River Yamuna meets Red Fort after decades
The unprecedented swelling of River Yamuna flooded low-lying areas along its banks and even inundated many areas in the national capital where flood waters haven't reached in decades.
This is what happens if you take over all the floodplains of Yamuna.
¡ª Muhammad Wajihulla (@wajihulla) July 13, 2023
This is the back wall of the Red fort in New Delhi. #delhiflood pic.twitter.com/qZUsk2cxf1
One such area was the historic Red Fort, once the seat of power in Delhi.
REUTERS
On Thursday, flood water from the Yamuna reached a section of the Ring Road between Red Fort and Salimgarh Fort.
Visuals posted on social media showed that there was knee-deep water near the northern walls of the Mughal-era fort.
REUTERS
River Yamuna on its natural course
Along with the visuals of the flooded Red Fort, several Mughal-ear paintings showing what appears to be the same area centuries ago, when River Yamuna was flowing there naturally, are being widely shared on social media.
A river never forgets! Even after decades and centuries pass, the river would come back to recapture its borders. Yamuna reclaims it's floodplain. #Yamuna #DelhiFloods pic.twitter.com/VGjkvcW3yg
¡ª Harsh Vats (@HarshVatsa7) July 13, 2023
Comparing the two images, many wrote that River Yamuna was reclaiming what was its natural course before the floodplains were taken over, filled up and turned into a concrete jungle.
If you have ever read the history of Delhi, you will realise that technically there is no flood that Yamuna has caused in Delhi. Yamuna is just reclaiming its own space that always belonged to her.#urbanisation #riverbed #floodplain #yamunariver #natureispowerful #delhiflood pic.twitter.com/Sen6bXcBdI
¡ª Dalip Singh Sabharwal - Bicycle Mayor of Delhi (@dalipsabharwal) July 13, 2023
Yamuna is taking it¡¯s old areas back.
¡ª Qutub Minari (@qutubminari) July 13, 2023
During Mughal Times, Red Fort had river flowing on its side.
Salimgarh fort and Red Fort were connected by arched bridge with Yamuna flowing under. It was converted into a railway bridge.
It is only natural for river to take its shape. pic.twitter.com/wG4WOj8aGo
Some old photos, dating back to the late 1800s, also showed water from River Yamuna near the Red Fort, where it is currently flooded.
A river corrects course: The Story of the Yamuna River and the Red Fort - #DelhiFlood
¡ª Worah | #WalkingInDelhi (@psychedelhic) July 13, 2023
When Shah Jahan moved his capital from Agra to Delhi, and first came to the newly built Red Fort, he came through the Yamuna and entered the fort from a water gate.
To bring this circle of¡ pic.twitter.com/gOy2T3zQo6
Yamuna Waters touches the Red Fort in 1890 & 2023, through photographs.
¡ª Tashi Tobgyal (@tashitobgyal) July 13, 2023
Year 1890: Photographer Unknown
Today: Photo ? TashiTobgyal/ @IndianExpress #DelhiFloods pic.twitter.com/PWu1Phcfcc
A river remembers!
Many pointed out that the areas that water has entered used to be the floodplains of Yamuna for centuries and that the river remembers its path even decades later.
Apart from the Red Fort, various other areas, including Vishwakarma Colony, Yamuna Bazar, ISBT bus terminus, Kashmere Gate, Shankaracharya Road, Majnu Ka Tila, Batla House, Kirari, and Kingsway Camp, were also impacted by the flooding on Thursday.
Following the unprecedented situation, the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has said that the Red Fort will remain closed to public and general visitors till Friday.
In a notice on Thursday, the ASI said: "In exercise of the powers conferred under Rule 5 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Rules, 1959, the Director General, Archaeological Survey of India hereby direct that the Red Fort, Delhi shall remain closed for the public and general visitors from second half of 13 to 14 July, 2023 due to heavy monsoon and rainfall."
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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