NEW DELHI: As the Yamuna swelled above danger levels this week, floodwaters pushed deeper into Delhi, swamping government offices, markets, metro access points and even the city’s busiest cremation ground, forcing mass evacuations and paralysing daily life across several districts. By Thursday, water had reached near the Delhi Secretariat, which houses the offices of the chief minister, cabinet ministers and top bureaucrats.
Nearby areas such as Vasudev Ghat and the Shri Marghat Wale Hanuman Baba Mandir near Kashmere Gate were also submerged. According to the revenue department, 8,018 people have been moved to tents, and another 2,030 have been shifted to 13 permanent shelters. In Majnu ka Tila, floodwater gushed into narrow lanes, leaving homes and businesses in ruins.
The Tibetan colony, usually alive with cafés, tattoo parlours, home spas and garment shops, is now reeling. Machines have been damaged, salons lie without equipment, restaurants remain shuttered, and many owners have been forced to sleep inside their waterlogged shops.
Relief camps set up in low-lying zones, including near Mayur Vihar Phase-I, were inundated after the Yamuna breached embankments. At Loha Pul (Old Iron Bridge) and Yamuna Bazar, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams assisted in relocating residents. The agency said it rescued 25 people and evacuated 1,171 individuals along with 29 livestock.
In the northeast, the DDMA reported an 11-hour search-and-rescue at Usmanpur’s 3rd Pusta, where three people, six dogs and a calf were saved with help from the Boat Club team.
Transport links have also been hit. At Yamuna Bank, the approach road to the metro station was submerged, prompting the closure of station gates. Boats were used to reach stranded commuters before NDRF intervened. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation assured that while the road was cut off, the interchange facility at the station remained functional.
According to officials, six districts, North, North East, Shahdara, East, Central and South East, are now on flood watch. Majnu ka Tila and Jharoda Khan reported waist-deep water. At Nigambodh Ghat, a wall collapsed, halting cremations at a site that typically conducts up to 60 funerals daily. Authorities have established 38 relief sites with 522 tents.
206.00 metres Evacuation level
207.42 metres Level recorded at 8 pm on Thursday
207.30 metres Level expected by Thursday 8 am
Water level at the Old Railway Bridge
Warning level: 204.50 m
Danger level: 205.33 m
Highest level: 208.66 m (in 2023)
Transport links also hit
At Yamuna Bank, the approach road to the metro station was submerged, prompting the closure of station gates. Boats were used to reach stranded commuters before NDRF intervened. The DMRC said while the road was cut off, the interchange facility at the station remained functional. According to officials, six districts, North, North East, Shahdara, East, Central and South East, are now on flood watch.