Transport disrupted in India’s capital after river floods key sites

NEW DELHI - Transport was disrupted on Friday in several areas of India’s capital after water from the swollen Yamuna River that runs through New Delhi flowed into the city through a broken drain regulator, the authorities said.

The river’s levels were at their highest in 45 years this week, following unusually heavy rainfall in New Delhi and the country’s hilly northern states, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people during the last two days, as the river breached its banks. 

Roads around the historic Red Fort were flooded, with trucks and buses abandoned in several places and just their windshields and roofs showing above the water, video images from Reuters partner ANI showed. 

“To prevent water from flowing into the city, we are trying to create a dam,” said Mr Saurabh Bharadwaj, Delhi’s flood control and irrigation minister.

Sacks would be stacked up to achieve this, he added, while the authorities were renting a new regulator, to be installed once the flow of water is brought under control. 

The work would take four or five hours more, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal estimated after a visit to the site. 

Metro train services were delayed by up to 20 minutes, commuters said. 

Government officials said the regulator, located near a key metro station, was in a state of “prolonged disrepair” and collapsed around 7pm local time on Thursday, at a time when the river was in spate.

The authorities are also turning to national disaster response officials and the army for help with the repair work, Mr Kejriwal had said on Twitter earlier. 

The roads around the Rajghat memorial to India’s apostle of non-violence Mahatma Gandhi were inundated, with some water flowing into the memorial area as well. 

Also flooded were several private and government offices, including the police headquarters, in the city’s ITO area. REUTERS