Delhi Police imposes prohibitory orders in flood-prone areas, Yamuna level rises

New Delhi: In a bid to ensure the safety of the public, Delhi Police on Wednesday imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in flood-prone areas of the national capital as preventive measures.

A senior Delhi police official said that the measure has been put into place fearing chaotic situation during the relocation of people affected due to the flood in Delhi.

“Going with present situation, two police stations located in flood-prone areas in North East Delhi have been ordered to shift to higher floors and other police stations in the vicinity have been intructed to be on alert as Yamuna River has breached the danger level and the water level continues to rise,” the official said.

The official added that police is coordinating with other local bodies to deal with any untoward situation. All police stations have been put on alert as evacuation from flood-affected areas.”

The imposition of prohibitory orders is to deal with the situation in case of evacuation and distribution of relief items,” the official added.

On July 12, the waterlevel in Yamuna breached the danger-level mark and touched 207.25 metres at Old Railway Bridge at 8 am, officials said.

According to officials, the previous record was in 1978 when water level in Yamuna was recorded at 207.49 metres.

Delhi government has already evacuated people living in low-lying areas and shifted them to safer places at higher altitude. Police personnel and Civil Defence Volunteers at such locations and advisories are being issued to people to keep away from the river.

Meanwhile, 2,500 tents have been set up in 6 districts of the national capital to which people are being shifted. Those living in the affected areas are being shifted to these camps set up at higher places. “If the water level of Yamuna rises, Kejriwal government is ready to deal with every situation,” Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj had said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had on Tuesday issued an ‘orange’ rainfall alert for Delhi.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday wrote a letter to Federal Home Minister Amit Shah urging the government to intervene as the water level of the Yamuna reached 207.55 meters, breaking a previous record set in 1978.

In his letter, Kejriwal said that the capital was going to host G20 Summit in the coming days, and the news of flood in the national capital would bring a bad name to the entire nation.

Kejriwal wrote the water level has been consistently rising due to the water released from the Hathnikund Barrage located in Haryana.

“I humbly request you, if possible, to release the water from the Hathnikund Barrage at a limited pace so that the water level in the Yamuna river in Delhi does not increase further,” his letter read.

Kejriwal said that the Central Water Commission has predicted that the water level can cross 207.72 meter mark on Wednesday night which was a matter of great concern.

“The water level in Yamuna river has already reached to 207.55 meters which broke the records of 45 years. At 1pm this afternoon, the water level of the Yamuna river in Delhi reached 207.55 meters. This level is much higher than the danger mark (205.33 meters).

“Prior to this, the Yamuna river had mostly reached a level of 197.49 meters in 1978, which was a significant flood situation in Delhi. With the water level at 207.55 meters, the Yamuna river can potentially experience floods at any time,” Kejriwal added in his letter.