New Delhi: As the water level of the Yamuna River crossed 208.48 meters, the Delhi government has shut down the three main water, which will cause an immense shortage of drinking water in the city.
“Due to rising water levels in Yamuna, Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla water treatment plants have to be shut. Due to this, there will be a water shortage in some areas of Delhi. As soon as the Yamuna water recedes, we will try to start them as soon as possible,” Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said.
“We are at the Wazirabad water treatment plant. For the first time in Delhi, Yamuna has touched this level. Three water treatment plants have been shut down due to this as the water has entered pumps & machines” he told reporters while inspecting the water treatment plant in Wazirabad.
Mr Kejriwal said, “25% of the water supply in Delhi will go down due to this. The tube-wells are closed too. There can be water scarcity for a day or two. I hope that the supply resumes by tomorrow evening”.
The torrential Yamuna in Delhi swelled to a staggering 208.48 metres Thursday morning, inundating nearby streets and public and private infrastructure, and causing immense hardships to people living in close proximity to the river.
The water level at the Old Railway Bridge crossed the 208-metre mark Wednesday night and rose to 208.48 metres by 8 am on Thursday.
The Central Water Commission termed it an “extreme situation” and said It is expected to rise further of water in Yamuna.
Kejriwal, in a tweet, said, “The water level in the Yamuna was constantly rising and spilling onto the nearby roads, urging people not to go there”.
Parts of the Ring Road were submerged, waist-deep water collected at the Monastery Market near Kashmere Gate and thousands of people abandoned their homes on the Yamuna floodplains.
The water level breached the previous high flood level of 207.49 m, which was recorded in 1978.
According to an official of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department in Delhi, the city has records of the water level at the river at the Old Railway Bridge only from 1978.
Owing to the flood-like situation in parts of Delhi, the MCD’s Education Department Wednesday decided to keep ten schools in low-lying areas of the Civil Lines Zone, six schools in Shahdara South Zone, and one school in Shahdara North Zone shut today (July 13)
