Delhi Schools Shut In Flood-Hit Areas; DDMA Meeting Today Over Rising Water Level Of Yamuna

With the Yamuna swelling to a staggering 208.48 metres, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday announced closure of schools in areas inundated with floodwater.

The national capital recorded a rapid increase in the Yamuna's water level over the past three days. The water level 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 further breached the previous all-time record of 207.49 metres by 1 pm on Wednesday and the 208-metre mark by 10 pm.

''All government and private schools are being closed in areas of Delhi where water is filling up,'' Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena will hold a special meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority on Thursday to discuss the flood situation in the city, officials said.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is the vice-chairman of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), will also attend the meeting, they said.

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''. 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.

He also requested the citizens to help each other in this emergency situation.