'Flood-like situation unlikely in Delhi, govt prepared,' says CM Arvind Kejriwal

Amid two days of torrential rains that paralysed Delhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said that it is not the time to point fingers at anyone as the city battles flooding.

Kejriwal said that the priority is to rescue people and provide them with relief. He said that the government is working on a war footing to deal with the situation.

He said that the city's drainage system was not designed to take such heavy rains. He said that the city has received more than 150 mm of rain in the past 24 hours, which is more than the average annual rainfall.

"This is not the time to point fingers at each other. The governments of all affected states need to work together to provide relief to the public," he said.

Kejriwal said that the government is working to improve the city's drainage system. He said that the government is also working to raise the height of the flood walls along the Yamuna river.

"As per weather predictions, water level in Yamuna will not increase much, so it is unlikely that there will be a flood," said CM Kejriwal.

Kejriwal's statement came after he chaired a high-level meeting to take stock of the situation after record-breaking rains brought Delhi to a standstill. He said the city received 153 mm of rain on July 8-9, which is the highest in the past 41 years.

He said that the water level in the Yamuna river is expected to rise, but he said that a flood-like situation is unlikely in Delhi. He further added that the government is monitoring the situation closely and is taking all necessary measures to prevent flooding. Haryana discharged over 1 lakh cusecs of water into the Yamuna river on Sunday.

"As per CWC, Yamuna river is flowing at 203.58 metres in Delhi. It is expected to reach 205.5 metres tomorrow morning. Also, according to weather predictions, the water level in Yamuna is not expected to rise too high. If Yamuna crosses the 206 metre mark, then we will start evacuation along the banks of the river," he detailed.