Delhi roads turn into rivers as Yamuna water swells to record level

News Network
July 13, 2023

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New Delhi, July 13: 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. It is expected to rise further, according to the Central Water Commission, which has termed it an "extreme situation".

With the situation deteriorating every passing hour, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged the Centre to intervene and the city police imposed Section 144 of the CrPC in flood-prone areas to prevent unlawful assembly of four or more people and public movement in groups.

Lt Governor V K Saxena has also called a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority on Thursday.

In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Kejriwal requested that the water from Hathnikund barrage in Haryana be released slowly and pointed out that Delhi is set to host the G20 Summit meeting in a few weeks.

"The news of flooding in the capital of the country will not send a good message to the world. Together we will have to save the people of Delhi from this situation," he said.

There are two major barrages on the Yamuna -- Dakpathar in Dehradun and Hathnikund in Yamunanagar, upstream of Delhi. There are no dams on the river and, therefore, most of the monsoon flow remains unutilised, resulting in floods during the season.

Delhi recorded a rapid increase in the Yamuna's water level over the past three days.

It shot up from 203.14 metres at 11 am on Sunday to 205.4 metres at 5 pm on Monday, breaching the danger mark of 205.33 metres 18 hours earlier than expected.

The river exceeded the evacuation mark of 206 metres Monday night, prompting the relocation of people residing in flood-prone areas to safer locations and the closure of the Old Railway Bridge for road and rail traffic. The water level breached the previous all-time record of 207.49 metres by 1 pm on Wednesday and the 208-metre mark by 10 pm.

Major floods in Delhi occurred in 1924, 1977, 1978, 1988, 1995, 1998, 2010 and 2013. An analysis of flood data from 1963 to 2010 indicate an increasing trend for floods occurring in September, and a decreasing trend in July, according to research.

According to the CWC, the flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage remained above 1.5 cusecs at night.

Normally, the flow rate at the barrage is 352 cusecs, but heavy rainfall in the catchment areas increases the discharge. One cusec is equivalent to 28.32 litres per second.

The India Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rain in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh on Thursday and Friday, raising concern about a further rise in the water level in the rivers.

Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana recorded "heavy to extremely heavy" rainfall over three days from Saturday. This resulted in overflowing rivers, creeks and drains that have massively damaged infrastructure and disrupted essential services.

Delhi witnessed its highest rainfall (153 mm) in a single day in July since 1982 in the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Sunday. The city received an additional 107 mm rainfall in the subsequent 24 hours, exacerbating the situation. The heavy rain transformed roads into gushing streams, parks into watery labyrinths and marketplaces into submerged realms.

The Yamuna river system's catchment covers parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.

The low-lying areas near the river in Delhi, inhabited by around 41,000 people, are considered prone to flooding. Encroachments on the river's floodplain have occurred over the years, despite the land belonging to the Delhi Development Authority, the revenue department and private individuals.

The city's northeast, east, central, and southeast districts are most affected by floods in the city. A study on 'Urban Flooding and its Management' by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department identifies east Delhi under the floodplain region and highly vulnerable to floods.

The Yamuna breached the danger mark twice in September last year, with the water level reaching 206.38 metres.

In 2019, the river witnessed a peak flow rate of 8.28 lakh cusecs on August 18-19 and the water level rose to 206.6 metres. In 2013, it reached a level of 207.32 metres.

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News Network
October 18,2024

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Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has been martyred in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza's Rafah city, a senior Hamas official confirmed.

Khalil Hayya, head of Hamas in Gaza, delivered a statement on Friday, a day after reports of Sinwar's martyrdom. 

"We mourn the great national leader, the Mujahid Martyr Brother Yahya Al-Sinwar (Abu Ibrahim), Head of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Commander of Al-Aqsa Storm Operation," he said.

He remembered Sinwar as "one of the noblest and bravest men, a man who dedicated his life to Palestine and gave his soul for the sake of Allah on the path to its liberation."

"He rose as a heroic martyr, advancing and never retreating, wielding his weapon, engaging and confronting the occupation army at the frontlines. He moved between all combat positions, steadfast and stationed on the honored land of Gaza, defending the land of Palestine and its holy sites, inspiring the spirit of endurance, patience, steadfastness, and resistance."

Referring to the history of Sinwar's struggle against the Israeli regime, Hayya noted that the fallen leader "attained the highest rank and the noblest medal, ascending as a witness and a martyr, content with the jihad and sacrifice he offered."

Naming a host of other resistance leaders assassinated by the Israeli regime in the past years, the Hamas official noted that "these sacrifices will continue to illuminate our path and drive us to more resilience and steadfastness."

"Hamas remains committed to the promise of its founding leaders and martyrs until the aspirations of our people are fully realized: the complete liberation and return, and the establishment of the Palestinian state on the entire national soil with Al-Quds as its capital, by Allah’s will," he said, adding, "This will become a curse upon the invading occupiers who are strangers to this land."

He underlined that the martyrdom of leaders "only strengthens Hamas and our resistance, making us more determined and steadfast in following their path, honoring their blood and sacrifices."

He highlighted that Israeli captives held in Gaza "will not return except with the cessation of aggression on Gaza, its withdrawal, and the release of our heroic prisoners from the occupation’s jails."

The charismatic leader of the Palestinian resistance movement had escaped many assassination attempts before and after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on Oct. 7, 2023.

Sinwar, 62, played an instrumental role in coordinating and supervising the landmark operation that jolted the Zionist regime. 

Before becoming the Hamas leader in Gaza in 2017, Sinwar spent 22 years in an Israeli prison. He was released as part of a prisoner swap in 2011.

“Hamas will never abandon the path of resistance… Our resistance will continue until the liberation of all of Palestine,” he declared during a speech in Gaza in late October 2017.

Sinwar had been chosen as the overall Hamas leader after Israel assassinated Ismail Haniyeh in July.

Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, where he was to attend the inauguration ceremony of new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

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News Network
October 29,2024

Mangaluru: A fraud case involving ₹43.32 lakh has been reported at the CEN station, where an individual was deceived under the guise of investment opportunities. 

The victim was promised high returns from stock and Initial Public Offering (IPO) transactions.

According to the complaint, the victim received a WhatsApp message on September 25 from an unknown sender identifying himself as Manju Pachisi, an Assistant at IIFL Securities Limited. 

The sender encouraged the victim to invest by sharing an online link, claiming significant profits could be earned from stock and IPO transactions.

Additionally, another link was sent via the Telegram app. Trusting the information, the victim transferred a total of ₹43.32 lakh in phases between September 26 and October 23. 

However, when he attempted to withdraw his funds, he was informed that he needed to pay a 25 percent commission. Realizing he had been duped, the victim promptly filed a complaint with the authorities.

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News Network
October 28,2024

Mangaluru: In a chilling incident that has raised suspicions of foul play, a 35-year-old man was discovered dead inside a train coach traveling from Bengaluru to Murudeshwar. 

The deceased, identified as Mouzzan from Kumbarpete, Doddaballapur, worked as a sales representative and was differently-abled. He boarded the train on October 24 from Yesvantpur and occupied the Divyang Coach.

The incident came to light on the morning of October 25 at Udupi, where a railway guard found Mouzzan unresponsive. The railway police immediately rushed him to the hospital, but doctors declared him dead. 

With no identification documents on him, the police utilized a label, “RS Tailor Chickpete,” found on his shirt collar to trace his family through WhatsApp, helping his relatives reach Mulki by Saturday.

Upon inspection, police noticed ligature marks around Mouzzan’s neck, hinting at possible foul play. His family reported that his bag and mobile phone were missing, raising further suspicion. 

The last known location of his phone was traced to Sakleshpur, suggesting he may have been targeted during the journey. Investigators suspect robbery as a motive and are now actively pursuing leads, with searches underway in Mysuru and Bengaluru.

A case has been filed at Mulki police station, and efforts to uncover the truth behind this tragic incident are intensifying as police work to piece together the circumstances that led to Mouzzan’s untimely death.

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