NEW DELHI: Chief minister Rekha Gupta called her Haryana counterpart, Nayab Singh Saini, late Tuesday night to address a breach in the Mungeshpur drain, which has flooded border areas in the national capital. “Gupta immediately spoke with Saini at midnight, following which repair work on the drain was initiated. Delhi officials reached the site first, followed soon by their counterparts from Haryana,” said Chief Minister’s Office.
Water entered villages and unauthorised colonies near the border following the breach in Haryana’s Bahadurgarh. National Disaster Response Force teams took charge of ground operations. People’s representatives have been regularly visiting the affected areas, CMO added. Around 2,000 people were evacuated and transported by DTC buses to temporary shelters at Baba Haridas temple and an MCD school in Jharoda, where arrangements were made for food and other essential items. On Wednesday, irrigation and flood control minister Parvesh Verma visited the ITO barrage to review the Yamuna’s rising water level and assured that the situation was fully under control. He noted that extensive work by multiple departments over the past six months had enhanced the Yamuna’s carrying capacity in the city, ensuring that there would be no repeat of the 2023 flooding. “Delhi is far better prepared today. Even if the water rises further, there is no need to panic.”Verma pointed out that in 2023, a discharge of 3.59 lakh cusecs from the Hathnikund barrage had submerged large parts of Delhi. This year, with a similar discharge level of 3.29 lakh cusecs, the city remains safe and secure, he said. The difference, Verma emphasised, lies in proactive planning, strict monitoring and timely interventions.The minister said families living in low-lying floodplain areas were being shifted to safer locations. The situation has not impacted residential colonies, he stressed. “The areas where water has entered are floodplain, where people have built temporary shelters despite repeated warnings. Our rescue teams are on the ground. Citizens in the city need not worry – Delhi is safe,” Verma said.Listing measures undertaken to strengthen the flood defence system, Verma said major drains were desilted to ensure smooth flow of rainwater, embankments were repaired and reinforced at vulnerable Yamuna Bazar and Vasudev Ghat and obstructions and encroachments that hindered water discharge were removed.
