Delhi rains: Families survive on biscuits as flooding rivers rise; red alert in 6 districts

• Heavy rainfall continues to lash Delhi, with red and orange alerts issued across the city and NCR.

• The Yamuna remains above the danger mark, flooding several low-lying areas and displacing hundreds.

• Authorities have shut the Old Railway Bridge and evacuated residents from flood-prone zones.

• Relief efforts include the deployment of rescue boats, sandbags and mobile water pumps.

• Delhi recorded over 1,000 mm of rainfall this season, one of its wettest monsoons in years.

• To the west, Uttar Pradesh’s Jewar, Greater Noida and Noida too saw low-lying villages and agricultural fields swamped by both the Yamuna and the Hindon.

Delhi and the surrounding NCR continued to witness heavy rainfall on 3 September, Wednesday, with several parts of the city experiencing waterlogging and rising river levels, forcing evacuations and disrupting daily life.

The weather department issued a red alert for Shahdara and central, east, northeast, south, and southeast Delhi, while placing New Delhi, north, northwest, southwest and west Delhi — along with parts of the National Capital Region such as Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurugram, and Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida and Greater Noida) — under an orange alert.

Overcast skies dominated the afternoon, with intermittent showers recorded in many areas of the capital city. The Safdarjung weather station reported 19.8 mm of rain in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am. Other rainfall figures included 28.2 mm at Ridge, 11.4 mm at Lodhi Road, 9.1 mm at Palam, and 5.7 mm at Ayanagar.

Noida and Greater Noida saw a rare sunny morning despite last night’s red alert for today, and rejoiced briefly — until the skies again opened up in the afternoon. The Hindon and the Yamuna, flanking parts of this stretch, did not stop rising even as the rain paused, though, with Hathni Barrage having to dump out water.

Cold, grey day — and full of colourful warnings

Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 22.8 degrees Celsius — 2.8 degrees below normal — on the intervening night of 2 and 3 September. Relative humidity stood at 97 per cent at 8:30 a.m. The Air Quality Index (AQI) was 52 at 9 a.m., placing the city in the ‘satisfactory’ category for a change, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned on X, "Thunderstorm and lightning with heavy rain is very likely over parts of southeast Delhi, east Delhi, Shahdara, central Delhi, northeast Delhi, south Delhi, New Delhi, southwest Delhi, west Delhi, northwest Delhi and north Delhi."

It added: "Thunderstorm and lightning with moderate rain is very likely over parts of southeast Delhi, Shahdara, south Delhi, New Delhi, southwest Delhi, west Delhi, northwest Delhi and north Delhi. Light rain and light thunderstorm with lightning is very likely over parts of south Delhi."

As the Yamuna swelled to 207 metres by 1 p.m., low-lying areas bore the brunt. Streets resembled streams and markets turned into murky pools. Several families were evacuated from flood-hit localities such as Majnu ka Tila, Madanpur Khadar and Badarpur, and many are now living in temporary roadside shelters.

At Majnu ka Tila, shopkeeper Anup Thapa said, "We shifted most of our goods, but some still got spoiled. Even after the water goes, we will have to repair the shop, which will cost us."

Now living in a roadside camp with his wife and young daughter, he added, "This is the second time after 2023. I urge the government to clean the streets and fix the area so that such incidents don't happen again."

Tayara, a resident of Madanpur Khadar, said, "All our belongings are inside. We could barely take out a few things. Women are facing a lot of problems as there are no toilets."

Life at a standstill

Amid the chaos, stray dogs were seen climbing staircases of abandoned homes. "Families had no food or utensils and were surviving only on biscuits and buns. We could not bring our cooking essentials, and now we have no facilities to cook — we are surviving on whatever we can buy from the kiosk," said another affected person.

Many helped elderly relatives wade through waist-deep water, while others stood helplessly watching their submerged homes. Vehicles and furniture lay underwater.

"Our shop has been closed since yesterday. The whole family depends on it. It will take days for the water to recede, and till then we have no income," said Sachin Yadav, a shopkeeper at Monastery Market.

At Yamuna Bazaar, shops and houses appeared surrounded by the river. Rohit Kumar, a shopkeeper, said, "The month has just started and our earnings are already gone. We still have to pay rent and resettle everything once the water reduces."

In Badarpur, only rooftops were visible in some areas. Asif, a resident, said, "I built this house with years of hard work to live with my wife and children, and now it is underwater. Where should we go? There are still people stuck inside."

Meanwhile, the Old Railway Bridge was shut for traffic, and rescue efforts continued as the water level threatened to rise further.

Noida and Greater Noida, where schools and many offices were shut by order of the district magistrate after last night’s red alert, saw low-lying areas swamped especially where the Hindon river and the Yamuna loop close together — such as the villages and agricultural fields bordering the posh high-rises of Sector 150.

With PTI inputs