With Yamuna levels rising to a record high, several key areas in Delhi, including the secretariat which houses the offices of the chief minister as well as his cabinet colleagues, were flooded on Thursday. Videos of waterlogged streets in the national capital showed areas like Supreme Court, Rajghat, ITO Road, Red Fort, among others, being impacted as Yamuna water level crossed the 208 metres mark, smashing the all-time record set 45 years ago.
The Met office on Thursday further predicted that light to moderate rainfall is expected to continue in Delhi on Friday while a 'yellow' alert has been issued for July 15.
Furthermore, the regional met centre on Friday morning tweeted, "Light intensity rain/drizzle would occur over and adjoining areas of Delhi (Jafarpur, Nazafgarh, Dwarka, Palam, IGI Airport, Ayanagar, Deramandi), NCR (Gurugram) Gohana, Sonipat (Haryana) Moradabad, Bahajoi, Sahaswan, Etah, Tundla, Firozabad, Shikohabad (UP) during next 2 hours."
The national capital witnessed light rain on Thursday as well, adding to the severe waterlogging in the city's low-lying areas. Brief spells of light rain occurred in parts of central and south Delhi, including areas such as Lajpat Nagar, Saket, Malviya Nagar, Hauz Khas and Jangpura.
As many as 23,692 people were evacuated on Thursday from the adjacent areas of the Yamuna river in Delhi, reported ANI quoting an official statement. The Delhi government reported that 21,092 people are currently residing in tents and shelters.
The water level of Yamuna breached the previous record of 207.49 metres by 1 pm on Wednesday and the 208-metre mark by 10 pm. Thereafter, the water level stabilised after reaching 208.62 metres.
Meanwhile, as the Yamuna waters inundated more areas of Delhi and rescue efforts intensified, the city stared at a drinking water shortage. The Delhi government has decided to cut down supply by 25 per cent following the closure of three water treatment plants -- Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who visited the Wazirabad water treatment plant, warned of rationalising water supply to deal with "acute shortage". He, however, said the water treatment plants will be resumed as soon as the situation turns to normal.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority on Thursday directed that non-essential government offices, schools and colleges be closed till Sunday. The Delhi government banned the entry of heavy goods vehicles, barring those carrying essentials, in the city from four borders, including Singhu.