-Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh inspected the ITO Barrage, while Member of Parliament Swati Maliwal visited the flood relief camps.

New Delhi, September 3 (HS):

The water level of the Yamuna in Delhi rose alarmingly to 207.33 meters by 6 p.m. on Wednesday, surpassing the danger mark of 205.33 meters by nearly two meters. Continuous heavy rainfall in upstream hilly and plains regions, coupled with the discharge of water from Haryana’s Hathnikund Barrage, has pushed the river into a critical flood situation.

The crisis deepened due to the breach in a section of the Mungeshpur drain near Bahadurgarh (Jhajjar), Haryana, on Tuesday, which led to flooding in border villages and informal settlements on Delhi’s periphery. Responding to the incident, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta spoke to Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini at midnight and directed urgent, war-footing repairs to plug the breach.

On Wednesday, Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh inspected the ITO Barrage, while leaders across the political spectrum toured flood-affected localities. Meanwhile, Yamuna’s floodwaters reached areas such as Khajuri Chowk, Shastri Park, Geeta Colony, and even the Delhi-Saharanpur-Dehradun Expressway near Akshardham. Residents displaced from riverbanks have begun erecting makeshift tents under flyovers, moving along with their livestock. This has led to traffic snarls on arterial roads.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office, District Magistrate M. Chaitanya Prasad supervised repair operations from late Tuesday night until 4:30 a.m., while NDRF teams were deployed for rescue. Following directives from the CM, nearly 2,000 residents were evacuated overnight via DTC buses and relocated to temporary shelters at Baba Haridas Temple and an MCD school in Jharoda, where food arrangements were made. Local representatives, including MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat and MLA Neelam Pehalwan, coordinated with district officials throughout the night.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta assured that relief work is proceeding on a war footing with full cooperation between Delhi and Haryana officials. “We are confident the situation will stabilize soon. Immediate assistance is being provided to all flood-affected families,” she stated.

Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal visited relief camps at Yamuna Bazaar, ITO, and Kashmere Gate on Wednesday, meeting scores of displaced families and reviewing evacuation operations. She highlighted that Delhi’s crisis reflects a wider humanitarian emergency across North India, where incessant rainfall has rendered thousands homeless. Maliwal stressed the need to intensify sanitation measures, fogging operations, and drinking-water safety to prevent disease outbreaks.

Separately, Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav visited the Yamuna Bazaar area, barely a few kilometers from the CM’s residence, warning that the looming flood threat so close to the capital’s power centers is “a stark indicator of the scale of the crisis.” He criticized the government’s handling of preparedness, alleging failure in both preemptive measures and relief arrangements.

With the Yamuna swelling and floodwaters entering densely populated settlements, rescue teams, NDRF units, and district authorities continue to work round-the-clock. The administration remains on high alert as the river shows no signs of retreating.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar