Capital facing the worst flood threat of the past four decades
Residents of Mukherjee Nagar and Model Town fear that by Friday evening their houses might be inundated with water from the drains and sewers. Many residents of north and southeast Delhi colonies such as Model Town, Mukherjee Nagar and Batla House were forced to skip work on Thursday to shift their families and belongings to safer locations.The authorities have issued warnings to people living in low-lying areas to evacuate their homes at the earliest and move to higher ground.
Some senior citizens, who had witnessed the 1978 floods in the capital, didn’t want to take any chances this time. “I remember the water level kept rising continuously for eight days at that time. Our house was submerged in 6ft water that had even reached the electricity boards. We are taking due precautions this time and have shifted the furniture and other belongings to the first floor,” said Pritam Das Virmani, a resident of Model Town III.
Some families living in the Batla House area, too, are leaving nothing to chance. “In the 1978 floods the river rose up to Holy Faith Hospital near Ring Road. I don’t want to be caught unawares this time. So my family has moved to the first floor,” said 62-year-old businessman, Mohammad Mobin.
“The tents are very inconvenient. Every year, we are made to leave behind all our belongings and move to the camps. But there is not even food or drinking water available there,” said Mohammad Salaudin.
Around 3,000 families living in ghettos dotting the riverbank near Batla House have been advised by the government to evacuate and move to makeshift camps. However, some residents said it had become an annual affair and there was nothing to worry about. Special police vans have been keeping a strict vigil in Batla House and adjacent colonies to keep the situation in control.
The possibility of the Capital facing its worst flood since 1978 has turned real, with Haryana releasing over eight lakh cusec water from the Hathni Kund Barrage into the Yamuna between Wednesday and Thursday. Not only low-lying resettlement areas but even posh colonies in south and east Delhi may face the fury of the already-swollen river.
“The rate at which the river’s water level is rising is a clear warning for localities such as Mayur Vihar, Laxmi Nagar, Geeta Colony and Noida on the eastern side and south Delhi areas, including Maharani Bagh, Friends Colony, Siddhartha Extension, Okhla, Jamia Nagar and Batla House,” a Delhi government official said. All low-lying areas next to the river – ITO, Rajghat, Daryaganj, Kudasiya Bagh, Model Town, Mukherjee Nagar and colonies on Yamuna Pushta – could face submergence.
According to Toxics Link director Ravi Agarwal, much of this crisis is manmade. “Encroachment and building activity throughout the 22-km river stretch in Delhi has almost eaten up 26-28 per cent of floodplain area. As a result, the natural flow of water is blocked. With planners ignoring the impact of global warming and the consequent threat of unpredictable rain patterns, we are faced with this catastrophe. The width of the river has decreased on both sides and the silt getting accumulated on the shrunk span has only raised the surface level,” Agarwal said.
Links to Refer:
Batla House, colonies on Yamuna Pushta, Daryaganj, Flood Threat, Hathni Kund Barrage, ITO, Kudasiya Bagh, Model Town, Mukherjee Nagar, Rajghat, worst flood threat, Yamuna river
