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Delhi awoke to a scene reminiscent of the Mughal era, when the Yamuna River flowed alongside the Red Fort. On Thursday, several parts of the Ring Road were flooded, and the 17th-century monument, built by Shah Jahan, was splashed with water.
“It was formerly Yamuna where the ring road lay. That is why the Red Fort was built here… The Yamuna was supposed to be a fort defense. The river began to diverge, as rivers do, in the time of Muhammad Shah ‘Rangila’ (in the 18th century) In 1911, when the decision was taken to shift the capital to Delhi, the area was surveyed to determine where the capital would be located.The original proposed site was Coronation Park area.But in that year, 1911, in the monsoon season, much of The areas in Coronation Park and the Kingsway Camp area. This is why the decision was made to locate the capital at Raisina Hill. In 1911, this area was flooded, parts of the civil lines, the model of the city. “This is part of the floodplain,” said writer Sohail Hashmi.
Paintings from the era show the river flowing alongside the fort. Today, the ring road abuts the fort leading to the ISBT at Kashmir Gate.
The Archaeological Survey of India said the fort would remain closed on Friday due to “heavy monsoons and rainfall”.
Luxurious areas flooded
Residents in many areas of North, Northeast and East Delhi have also woken up to find the river on their doorsteps – and inside their homes. Late last night, the water level exceeded 208 metres, the highest level in 45 years.
The Delhi Traffic Police issued alerts throughout Thursday and said several important roads and areas – Civil Lines, Raj Ghat, Delhi Municipality, Signature Bridge and Magnu Ka Tila – were flooded and vehicular traffic had to be stopped.
Police in Civil Lines said homes and shops were flooded. Water entered the huts in Cham Nath Marg, where some residents took refuge on the upper floors while others on the road wondered what to do.
“Water entered our house. This has never happened before. I went out at 7 am to take my children to school and there was no water at that time. When I came back, I found my house filling with water,” said Nitin Dubey, a resident.
Meanwhile, Bhanu Verma, a mechanic, reached his workshop at 6 am to find her one foot deep in the water. “I thought it wouldn’t get much deeper, but by nine o’clock my whole shop was flooded and I had to move the cars with the help of a boat. The cars belong to my customers… I have to take the losses and fix them immediately,” he said.
A century-old mausoleum at Cham Nath Marg, civil lines, was also flooded. Rajesh Sharma, who runs the temple, was the first person in the area to notify shopkeepers and other businesses. “Our family has lived in this temple since 1923; earlier, when a flood warning was issued, the waters would disappear within an hour or two… No one in our three generations had seen such a disaster in this area,” he said.
Police said the water crossed the low-lying areas and even reached Itu Road, bringing traffic to a standstill for all those traveling to New Delhi and Central Delhi. “We also had to clear traffic in Okhla, southeast Delhi, and Jasula Vihar as the river flooded major roads. The water was knee-deep at Kalindi Kunj Bridge,” said an officer.
Ashram Chowk-DND flight route was also hit.
The flood also affected metro routes and bus traffic. Entry and exit to Yamuna Bank metro station were closed and trains operating on the four bridges over the river ran at a controlled speed of 30 km/h.
Police said rescue operations were conducted in Khajuri Khas, New Usmanpur, Yamuna Bazar and Souq-Al-Dir where families were stuck in low-lying areas.
Meanwhile, the movement of about 400 passenger trains between July 7 and July 13 in addition to 600 road/express trains were affected in the past six days, the railways said on Thursday.
Northern Railway had to divert 101 mail/express trains and 26 passenger trains to avoid the Yamuna Bridge.
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