July 9th 2023.
On Sunday, an unfortunate incident occurred in Delhi's Rohini area, as a road caved in due to incessant rainfall. Reports say that the collapse caused a massive 20-foot-wide crater, now filled with muddy water. Fortunately, no injuries or vehicles being dragged into the crater occurred.
The city also witnessed an unprecedented level of rainfall, marking the highest recorded within a 24-hour period in the past four decades. This caused massive water logging in many parts of the city, including the Cannaught Palace, markets, and civic secretariat.
The issue was further compounded as the Haryana government released more than one lakh cusecs of water into the Yamuna river from the Hathnikund barrage. In response to this, the Delhi government issued a flood warning and set up 16 control rooms, including a central control room to monitor the flood-prone areas and the water level of the Yamuna.
The situation in North West India continued to worsen, with heavy rainfall in the catchment areas of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. This led to overflowing rivers, creeks and drains that have caused immense damage to infrastructure and disrupted essential services.
The Central Water Commission warned that the water level in the river in Delhi is rising and is expected to surpass the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Tuesday.
The Delhi government announced the closure of all schools on Monday and cancelled the Sunday leave of government officials, instructing them to be in the field. The India Meteorological Department reported that Chandigarh and Ambala recorded a record rainfall of 322.2 mm and 224.1 mm respectively.
Unfortunately, the low-lying areas near the river in Delhi, inhabited by 37,000 people, are considered prone to flooding due to encroachments on the river floodplain. Last year, the river breached the danger mark twice in September.
The situation has been further aggravated by videos and images shared on social media of state of Akbar Road in heart of VVIP Lutyens Delhi, Kartavya path at India Gate also a swimming pool, and other areas in Delhi.
The heavy rainfall has also caused destruction in Himachal Pradesh, where ATM, several cars were swept away in a river and landslides disrupted traffic. These incidents highlight the devastating impact of the rains in the region and the urgent need for a world-class solution.
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