Yamuna level crosses danger mark, no assistance by govt, say people

Noida, 28th September, 2022: The Yamuna River reached dangerously high levels on Tuesday, following three days of nonstop rain in the city. Water levels have risen not just as a result of the rains, but also the discharge of more than 2 lakh cubic metres of water from the HathiniKund barrage on Monday.

The danger mark of the Yamuna river is 205.33 metres, However, the water reached at 206.59 metres on today morning from 6 am to 8 am.

On Tuesday, Thousands of people rushed to the Noida link road below Mayur Vihar Phase 1 with their valuables packed as overflowing Yamuna water overwhelmed their neighbourhood.

Residents gathered everything they could, including beds, clothes, kitchen utensils, and food, and rushed to a higher ground designated by officials for their stay until the water retreated from the area.

Several residents have complained that the government provided zero assistance in arranging transportation to the resettlement centres. According to officials, people were evacuated from low-lying floodplain regions and relocated to temporary settlements of tents and School buildings.

Whereas, according to Vinod Kumar Singh, Executive Magistrate of Mayur Vihar, “The government has been warning residents to go since August 22, but they didn’t listen until the neighbourhood was swamped today.”

However, the real groundwork for rehabilitating 5,000 people was less than adequate. Until the evening, little more than 12 tents were built. Toilets and food were not provided till then, and just two water tankers were provided, which were not present at the rehabilitation site.

“We are working to build more shelters with a supply of 50 tents. The water tankers have been sent, but they will rotate across the area. An NGO has been enlisted to offer meals to the people,” Singh explained.

According to him, approximately 3,000 individuals have settled in two Mayur Vihar locations, while the remainder of the population has been relocated to Preet Vihar and ITO.