Delhi Floods: Schools, Colleges Closed, WFH Advisory for Offices

With rising water levels in the Yamuna River and the flood-like situation in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has announced the closure of schools and colleges in affected areas until Sunday.

The Directorate of Education (DoE) has issued a circular instructing the closure of all government and private schools in low-lying areas. The circular emphasizes the importance of ensuring student safety and urges schools in areas at risk of flooding to close immediately.

The DoE has also instructed zonal and district authorities to remain in contact with the schools and provide the necessary support. The affected districts include East, North East, North, South East, and Central, where all schools are directed to close without waiting for further orders.

Unusual Rise in Yamuna Waters

Over the past three days, the national capital has recorded an instant rise in Yamuna's water level. The water level rose up from 203.14 metres at 11 am on Sunday to 205.4 metres at 5 pm on Monday, rupturing 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.

Flood-Like Situation in Delhi

As heavy rainfall and the release of water from the Hathnikund Barrage in neighbouring Haryana continue to raise the water level of the Yamuna River, several areas in the city are now submerged.

This has led to disruptions in traffic movement in multiple locations. The police in the North-East district have reported rescuing over 1,000 individuals and nearly 999 cattle from several areas near the Yamuna River during the flood situation. The rescue operations were conducted in the police station areas of Usmanpur, Shastri Park, and Sonia Vihar.

In addition, official sources state that the movement of commercial vehicles will be regulated, with non-destined commercial vehicles being redirected to the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways.

Commercial vehicles will be diverted from Mukarba Chowk, Sarai Kale Khan, Ghazipur border, and Akshardham towards DND.

Furthermore, specific restrictions have been imposed, such as no commercial vehicles allowed between Mukarba Chowk and Wazirabad Bridge, Sarai Kale Khan and IP Flyover, and Akshardham and Sarai Kale Khan.