Yamuna swells, traffic chokes as key Delhi roads go underwater

New Delhi, Sep 4: Heavy flooding from the Yamuna River threw life into disarray in several parts of Delhi on Thursday, submerging major roads, crippling traffic, and disrupting daily routines across the city, PTI reported.

By morning, commuters found themselves stuck in bumper-to-bumper jams on arterial stretches such as Kashmere Gate, Ring Road, Outer Ring Road and the Kalindi Kunj area.

Many reported that even short distances of two kilometres were taking hours to cover, forcing office-goers to abandon cars and shift to the Delhi Metro, reports news agencies.

According to official data, the water level in the Yamuna at the Old Railway Bridge reached 207.48 metres on Thursday morning. Several low-lying neighbourhoods, including Monastery Market and Yamuna Bazar, were inundated. The rising river also flooded the Nigambodh Ghat, Delhi’s oldest and busiest cremation ground, halting cremation services and compounding the city’s woes, according to national media reports.

PTI reported that rescue efforts are underway, with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) deployed in severely affected pockets. Teams from the 16th Battalion carried out operations at Yamuna Bazar, where residents remained marooned. Officials said the river’s levels had stabilised and were likely to recede by Thursday evening, though danger persisted through the day. The Yamuna breaching the 207-metre mark is a rare occurrence, recorded only five times since 1963, reports news agencies. This week’s flooding has once again exposed the capital’s vulnerability to heavy rains and river surges, with water gushing into homes, damaging goods in shops, and paralysing civic life.