By Ramakant Chaudhary
This is a paradox of the situation, as on one hand we have successfully sent Chandrayaan 3 to explore water on the south pole of the moon, on the other hand, the national capital of India is facing a deluge of water. Lo and behold, it has not rained in Delhi so much, but Pandava’s Indraprastha is flooded. The Yamuna river in Delhi witnessed an unprecedented surge causing severe flooding in nearby areas and affecting streets, public facilities and private infrastructure. Residents in the affected areas are grappling with odds and adversary in the face of unprecedented events. The authorities evacuated as many as 16,564 people and around 14,534 of them took refuge in tents pitched by the Delhi government and under flyovers.
People marooned
Thousands of people were compelled to seek refuge on the road. Schools, colleges, crematoriums and even water treatment plants in Delhi were closed as overflowing Yamuna inundated the national capital. As per media reports, the water level of the Yamuna, all-time high on Thursday, is gradually receding, however several parts in Delhi, including Supreme court, ITO, Rajghat, iconic Lal Qila among others are confronting the challenges of flood. As people were on Thursday battling with flood, five gates of the ITO barrage were reportedly jammed, spelling more trouble. The crops planted on hundreds of acres in Delhi’s Madanpur Khadar were destroyed owing to flooding in the areas. According to a trader’s body: “An estimated Rs 200 crore worth of business has been affected due to rains and flooding in parts of the national capital.”
Commuters faced difficulties as traffic was diverted due to waterlogging at ITO road, a key stretch connecting east Delhi to Lutyens’s Delhi. “No vehicular traffic will be allowed on Mahatma Gandhi Marg from Sarai Kale Khan towards IP Flyover due to overflow of drain water near WHO Building. Commuters are advised to avoid the stretch,” the Delhi Traffic Police said in a tweet. The Delhi police has also imposed section 144 CrPC as a precautionary measure in the flood-prone areas in Delhi.
Blame games: People in knee-deep trouble
Political blame games have erupted between the ruling party Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party amidst people are in knee-deep trouble in flood-like situations.
BJP’s IT cell head Amit Malviya said that Arvind Kejriwal is responsible for Delhi floods and Yamuna inundating streets of Delhi and adjoining areas. He added, “Despite several promises to clean the Yamuna, no dredging has been done ever since Kejriwal came to power. Sewer lines have not been desilted for the last 8 years. Even this year, drains that were to be desilted till 15th June, have not been cleared. There is no drainage plan for the city.”
AAP leader and PWD Minister Atishi Marlena tweeted, “Ecosystems are not divided by political boundaries. Not just north India, the whole world is witnessing large-scale climatic catastrophes. The amount of rainfall this year in Delhi, Himachal, Haryana etc. is unprecedented by far. And this is exactly why the Yamuna is flooding, as one common river basin that goes through several states.”
BJP leader Manoj Tiwari said of the flood situation: “I had been constantly alerting (the government) over this (flood) threat. But the Arvind Kejriwal government didn’t wake up.”
The Congress attacked the AAP government in Delhi over the flood-like situation, describing it as a “man-made crisis” and not a natural disaster. Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate told news agency PTI, “The government needs to step in. It has happened because of a man-made crisis, this is not a natural disaster. Drains are not clear, water bodies have been taken over, (there is) illegal occupation of land…”
“Where is the Delhi chief minister? Looks like he said it seriously that he would make Delhi (a) land of lakes,” Shrinate said in a swipe at Arvind Kejriwal.
PM Modi enquires about flood from France
Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him up over the phone from France to enquire about the flood and waterlogging situation in the national capital.
“Honourable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji called from France to enquire about the waterlogging and flood situation in Delhi and the efforts being made to deal with it,” Saxena said.
Devastating 1978 Delhi floods
The devastating Delhi flood of 1978 was a natural disaster that occurred in the national capital. In July 1978, heavy monsoon rains lashed the city, leading to massive flooding and widespread destruction. The flood was one of the worst in Delhi’s history and resulted in the loss of many lives and extensive damage to infrastructure. The then Indira Gandhi-led union government had to deploy Indian Air Force choppers to drop food packets and relief materials among the flood victims.
The 1978 flood served as a wake-up call for Delhi’s authorities, leading to a re-evaluation of the city’s drainage and flood management systems. Subsequent measures were taken to improve infrastructure, including the construction of additional stormwater drains and reservoirs. These initiatives aimed to enhance the city’s resilience to future flooding events. The 2023 Delhi flood must be taken on a serious note to refurbish the infrastructure to avert such a situation in the face of climatic challenges becoming formidable with each passing year.
-RAMAKANT CHAUDHARY
Ramakant Chaudhary works with PR Professionals as DGM-Content Development, and has worked in various editorial roles with Financial Express, Mint (Hindustan Times Group), The Times Of India, Jagran Post (Dainik Jagran Group), The Pioneer, and The Political and Business Daily. He writes on politics, government policy, economy, infrastructure, real estate, social issues, lifestyle, and health
