For people displaced by floods in Yamuna during every monsoon, the temporary shelter site does not become ritual, measures will have to be thought of.
Ajay (25), a daily wage motion of Rs 900 every day, is now not able to go to work. He is currently living in one of the government’s relief camps under the Mayur Vihar Phase One Metro Station. There are long white latters of white tents, where there are many people like them. Ajay says, “When we have lost our house, how can I think about work?” I chose to live with my family instead of earning and I have to pay the price. ”Due to the rising water level of Yamuna, when people were forced to leave their temporary houses along its banks, these camps were set up. Most of the laborers living in relief camps or work as domestic assistants.
Generally, traffic has stopped on one side on the crowded iron bridge. About 10 km away, this bridge has been closed unilaterally due to the boom of Yamuna.
The Yamuna River in Delhi crossed the 206 meter level this year for the first time this year due to the release of huge amount of water from Wazirabad and Hathinikund barrages. On the same day, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta inspected the affected areas along the Yamuna and met the families living in relief camps. Even in 2023, the water level of Yamuna increased by 208.66 meters. For this reason, the water was filled in low -lying areas as usual and thousands of people were evacuated to safe places.
The 2023 floods were analyzed by the South Asia Network on Dams, Reverse and People (SANDRP). According to him, a 2024 report warned that the city has not recovered since the 2023 floods. SANDRP identified three main reasons behind the 2023 flood. First, heavy rains for five days between 9-13 July, second, wrong figures of water coming out of Hathinikund, Wazirabad and Okhla barrages and third, heavy encroachment and mud accumulation in the flood area of Yamuna.
In addition, the Joint Flood Management Studies (2024) of the Yamuna River, formed by the Ministry of Water Power and under the leadership of the Central Water Commission, found that the total deposits of five days in 2023 were 24 to 43 percent more than 1978. Due to this, the water level of Yamuna on Old Delhi Railway Bridge reached 208.66 meters. The committee had investigated the return period of 500 years of flood, the carriage capacity of the river and the functioning of barrages. This led to the increase in the problem of water logging due to encroachment, so it was recommended to remove people from there, better operation of gates and strong institutional mechanisms.
But as the water level of Yamuna rises with monsoon rains and about 10,000 people settled on its banks are displaced, the question arises as to why it has become a matter of every year to remove people from the low-lying areas. What measures did previous governments took? Was they enough and what steps will the current government take to do not come back again next year?
