The rise of Yamuna: Delhiites, stay afloat!
Stuck for hours on roads or struggling in the Delhi Metro, ‘Yamuna paar’ residents face the wrath of floods as the river’s water level rose, following heavy rainfall and the release of water from Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana.
The rising water levels in Delhi’s principal water body breached the danger mark on Monday (July 10), and crossed 208.4m on Thursday morning (July 13). This marked the return of flooding in the city after 45 years. With a flood-like situation across Delhi-NCR, commuters complained about being stuck in four-hour long traffic jams and delayed Metro trains.
“I was stuck in traffic for more than three hours en route my office in Noida Sector 1, on Thursday morning. This is the same stretch that I travel every day from my home in Ghaziabad, which usually takes me 30 minutes. Even after all the trouble, I reached work only to be marked absent for the day since I turned up post lunch!” says Harkesh Jain, software engineer.
For some, taking a U-turn out of the traffic jam seem much more feasible as their ‘usual office route’ wasn’t as usual on Thursday. “I was aware of how risky it was with the Yamuna level in the city, but didn’t realise that it would be so bad. I took my daily route to reach my office in ITO, from Mayur Vihar Phase 1, only to return midway after struggling in traffic for three-and-a-half hours! I could barely cross Akshardham. After that, I couldn’t risk being stuck in the water and started feeling giddy,” says Sarthak Nanda, chartered accountant.
While the roads were flooded, the Metro didn’t come with much relief either. “Seeing the flood situation on TV, I decided to take the Metro to reach the exam centre that’s close to Tughlakabad Station; from Botanical Garden. I left at 11am for a 40-minute ride, but was stuck in the train till 12.30pm. My exam was to begin at noon. I had to plead to the invigilator to let me in so that I don’t have to reappear for the exam. Thankfully, I was allowed to sit for the paper,” says Akshay Jairaj, a final-year journalism student at a Delhi-based college.
“My metro to Kailash Colony, from Botanical Garden, was stuck for 30 minutes, and I started feeling suffocated. I took the rail route today, especially so that I could avoid the chakka jam of Delhi and still reach office but that too is in vain. I guess, that’s how nature reacts but boss ki daant toh khaani padegi.”
Yamuna water level
- Tuesday morning: 206.4m
- Wednesday morning: 207m
- Thursday morning: 208.46m
Source: Central Water Commission
Author tweets @maishascribbles
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