Jaitpur, ITO, Red Fort and Daryagunj were last inundated in 1978
Photo: Vikas Choudhary / CSE This is the first of a 3-part ground report on the Delhi floods
Several parts of the national capital Delhi started to flood after the Yamuna river crossed its evacuation mark on July 11, 2023.
Down To Earth visited several neighbourhoods that were inundated. Many of them — Jaitpur, ITO, Red Fort and Daryagunj — witnessed the inundation after 45 years.
Among the several residents of these areas was Mohammad Haseeb. His neighbourhood, Khadda Colony in Jaitpur, began to flood as soon as the evacuation mark was breached.
“My autorickshaw has been lost in the floodwaters. Some residents of my colony had poured soil over the water. So, it is getting difficult to find my auto under all the mud,” Haseeb told DTE on July 14.
“My joint family, which lived in five rooms in the colony, has been shifted to a one-room accommodation in Okhla with a relative’s help. But I am heading back there again and again to find my vehicle—a source for my family’s livelihood,” he added.
National Disaster Relief Force officer Gaurav Sharma, who was leading rescue operations in the submerged parts of Jaitpur, told DTE that 780 people had been rescued from an area spanning across about 400 meters. The worst parts of Jaitpur were under 10 feet of flood water, he added.
An old woman from Valmiki Nagar in Jaitpur wept and requested personnel to help save her family’s official documents. She kept saying she needed them for paperwork at a hospital her son was admitted in. She was directed to the nearby police station.
Vikas Singh from Delhi Civil Defence appointed to assist flood victims said he had never seen Jaitpur getting flooded in his lifetime.
Musarrat, a flood victim from Valmiki Nagar, heaved a sigh of relief on managing to save her documents and belongings with help from rescuers. When asked where she will stay, she said: “I have an arrangement but there are many who will be forced to put shanties on the roadside and manage until floodwaters settle down. The administration should immediately look into the situation.”
DTE found the backyard of the prime building of Vikas Bhawan at ITO, where several of the top bureaucrats of Delhi work, submerged in floodwaters.
At least 45 shops in the area which provided refreshment to officegoers working in the prime area have been inundated, other shopkeepers who managed to salvage their businesses, told DTE.
Kamlakant Tiwari, who owns a kiosk at the periphery of the area, said: “Our business is at standstill and people have lost their shops to floods. Even though four feet water has not endangered lives, livelihoods are affected until the Yamuna’s waters settle down.”
Singheshwar Sahni, another stall owner in the area, noted: “When waters have even reached these elite neighbourhoods, I imagine what the submerged basti dwellers must be going through.”
The Delhi government has reported that 22,803 individuals in flood-affected areas have so far been relocated to tents and shelters. Also, in many places, people have erected temporary structures on higher ground to escape rising water.
Adil Mirza, who ferries the officegoers at ITO to and from Daryaganj and the Red Fort said: “My empty auto should explain enough. I am not able to ferry people to their destination as so many roads are blocked. I am not able to make any earning.”
Nadim Khan, another auto driver, who has been working in the capital for the last 22 years, said: “I have never seen such floods in Delhi all through those many years; no inundation at ITO, Red Fort, Jaitpur, ever.”
He added: “Right now, amid the floods, I am having to confine auto rides only within South Delhi. The Ring Road is hardly usable. Because of submersion at places, we have switched to the Delhi Noida Direct (DND) Flyway. The road from ITO to Sarai Kale Khan could not be used. Then the road from Kashmere Gate ISBT could not be used either. So, this is one of the worst times for our livelihood. Driving through Delhi is next to impossible as of now,” said Khan.
Almost the entire stretch from the Red Fort to ITO and up to Daryaganj was submerged under floodwaters at the time of writing this report. The overflowing Yamuna even reached the entrance of the Supreme Court in central Delhi.
We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.
.png)
Comments are moderated and will be published only after the site moderator’s approval. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition.