Persistent and heavy rainfall since Tuesday evening left several areas in the capital submerged leading to huge traffic snarls and water-logging at more than 100 places on Wednesday. The Old Yamuna Bridge, which is used both for rail and road traffic, had to be closed down due to safety concerns. Several passenger and express trains

had to be diverted. Yamuna, meanwhile, continued to flow above the danger mark and the administration had to close down all the sluice gates of the 17 major drains, which fall into the Yamuna, to prevent flood water from flowing back into the drains.
The flood water reached dangerously close to the outer Ring Road near ISBT Kashmere Gate, even as the nearby Tibetan monastery and Qudsia Ghat were inundated with river water.
Around 200 people were evacuated from the banks of Yamuna on Wednesday. With Haryana likely to release more water from the Hathnikund barrage in Tajewala following heavy rains in several areas there, the water level in Yamuna may rise further. In such eventuality, the administration may be forced to close down the Ring Road near ISBT, crucial for normal traffic movement. When reports last came in, the Yamuna was flowing at 205.96 metres, which is more than a metre above the danger mark of 204.83 metres. The MCD said that it has installed pumps at the mouth of all the sluice gates to prevent the backflow of water. At nine points, the MCD has installed its own pumps, while at the remaining eight the flood control department of the Delhi government and the Delhi Jal Board have installed their pumps.
Meanwhile, reacting to a query on the sidelines of a function about rains and its impact on the preparations for the Commonwealth Games, chief minister Sheila Dikshit, said: “It is good that God has given such good rains to Delhi after 10 years.” She, however, also took a round of the flood-affected areas and assured that there was no need to panic as the authorities were prepared to deal with any eventuality.
Commuters on the roads, however, harboured no such thoughts.
Traffic was badly choked between ITO and Nizamuddin Bridge with the police restricting movement on the outer Ring Road, which was heavily water-logged. In fact, it took more than a couple of hours for commuters to reach Ghazipur border on the National Highway No. 24 through the Nizamuddin Bridge.
On the other hand, there were major traffic snarls in north and north-east Delhi with the old Yamuna bridge, which is used both for rail and road traffic, had to be closed down by Wednesday noon due to safety concerns.
In fact, Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi Express, Jhelum Express and another train remained stuck barely 10 km from the New Delhi Railway Station as the tracks had got completely submerged near Subzi Mandi Railway Station. Several high-profile people, including a few politicians, travelling on Shatabdi had to get down from the train and wade through the murky waters to reach their destinations. While the rain gauge measured 9.9 mm in 33 hours beginning 8.30 am on Tuesday, it was deluge with weather stations at Palam recording a 25.3 mm and Ayanagar recording 24.2 mm of rain.