Rajghat cleared of floodwaters l g pays visit yamuna level rises again

Rajghat cleared of floodwaters l g pays visit yamuna level rises again

Restoration of pavements and landscaping under way, says Saxena; water level in Yamuna at 205.5 metres as of 11 p.m.; MCD deploys more than 3,000 dengue breeding checkers amid increase in cases of vector-borne diseases due to waterlogging.

A week after the Yamuna floodwaters inundated Rajghat, the complex housing the Mahatma Gandhi memorial was restored to its original state on Friday, officials said.

Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena inspected the work to restore the area to normalcy and paid tribute at the memorial. “Sincere & consistent efforts since 15.07.23, by all stakeholder agencies have resulted in restoration of the Rajghat Samadhi area and its approach. The stagnant flood water has been substantially drained out & restoration of pavements and landscaping is underway,” he tweeted.

Water from the Yamuna had entered the area on July 14 and almost reached the Supreme Court.

According to officials, 50-60 personnel from agencies, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Public Works Department, and Irrigation and Flood Control Department, worked round the clock to clear the water from Rajghat’s pathways and gardens. Over 10 pumps of 400 hp capacity each were deployed to clear Rajghat and some walls broken down to let the water out, they added.

River past danger mark

By 11 p.m. on Friday, the Yamuna water level had reached 205.5 metres, a little over the danger mark of 205.33. On July 13, water in the river had reached a record high of 208.66 metres, flooding various parts of the city.

In another development, the MCD said it has deployed over 3,000 dengue breeding checkers across the city amid the risk of vector-borne diseases caused by waterlogging. As per data issued by the MCD earlier this week, the city has seen over 160 cases of dengue, 54 of malaria and 14 of chikungunya till July 15 this year.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva hit out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over the “water crisis”, saying whatever little water the city has is “undrinkable”. “Delhiites are facing a major water crisis despite restoration of the flood-hit water treatment plants,” he said.

The floods had temporarily forced the water treatment plants at Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla to shut down, restricting water availability, but they were reopened shortly as the water started receding.

No response was issued by AAP on the BJP leader’s comments.

Relief camps

In a separate development, the High Court agreed to hear on July 24 a plea seeking direction to the authorities for immediate steps to provide free ration, medical assistance, and essential medicines in flood relief camps. The petitioner, a former assistant professor at Azim Premji University, said, “Flood management being a State subject, the primary onus is upon States to take steps to deal with it.”