Delhi rains: Kejriwal assures flood-like situation unlikely in national capital
Amid back-to-back days of torrential rains, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal assured Delhiites that a flood-like situation was unlikely. On Monday, he presided over a meeting to discuss the rising Yamuna River levels and waterlogging caused by rains. Following the meeting, he addressed a press conference and said that the Delhi government was closely monitoring the current developments.
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On Monday, the Yamuna River inched closer to the warning mark as Haryana released over one lakh cusecs of water from the Hathnikund barrage following continuous downpours in the upper catchment regions. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported Delhi received 153mm rainfall in 24 hours as of 8:30am on Sunday, the most in a single day for the month of July since 1982.
Delhi not designed to take such unprecedented rain: Kejriwal
Highlighting how Delhi's drainage system wasn't designed to take such heavy rains, Kejriwal revealed that the national capital received over 150mm of rain over the last 24 hours, significantly more than the average annual rainfall. "This is not the time to point fingers at each other. The governments of all affected states need to work together to provide relief to the public," stated Kejriwal.
Yamuna's water level won't increase much: Delhi CM
Furthermore, Kejriwal stated that the government was actively working to improve the city's drainage system. The Delhi CM added that work was also being done to raise the height of the flood walls along the Yamuna River. "As per weather predictions, the water level in Yamuna will not increase much, so it is unlikely that there will be a flood," revealed Kejriwal.
We will start evacuation along banks: Kejriwal
Quoting a Central Water Commission (CWC) report, Kejriwal said that Yamuna was flowing at 203.58 meters in Delhi and is expected to reach 205.5 meters on Tuesday morning. "According to weather predictions, the water level in Yamuna is not expected to rise too high. If Yamuna crosses the 206-meter mark, then we will start evacuation along the banks of the river," he added.
You can watch Kejriwal's full press conference here
Monsoon rains create havoc in Delhi
Notably, two days of substantial downpours resulted in waterlogging in parts of the city that had never been seen before, with knee-to-ankle-deep water reported in various parts of Connaught Place on Sunday. While all schools remained shut on Monday in the city, the functioning of the Delhi High Court was allegedly affected due to water leakage in some of the courtrooms on Monday.
IMD predicts more rainfall in these Indian states
Numerous North Indian states have also experienced heavy rains over the past few days, triggering landslides and flood-like situations in many parts. Meanwhile, the weather office has predicted heavy rains for Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Rajasthan. Pictures and videos have also surfaced on social media showing the intense spells of downpours.
