The shock of Delhi’s floods spread to the neighboring city of Noida over the weekend after the Hindon river, a tributary of the Yamuna, started overflowing due to increased water discharge. Visuals on Tuesday evening showed a huge yard full of a private company’s vehicles completely submerged in water in Greater Noida’s Ecotech 3 area.
In view of rising water levels, authorities evacuated residents from riverside villages to safer shelters. The local administration has also closed the city park.
Gautam Budh Nagar District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma said on Tuesday, “The water level of Hindon river has been rising for the past 3 days… It is currently stable but we have to be vigilant for the next 24 hours.”
In the video of the private cab company’s yard where the vehicles were dumped, Verma said “concerned authorities were alerted since last four days but they did not remove the vehicles.”
He also said that the danger level of Hindon river is 205.8 meters and currently it stands at 201.5 meters. “…Due to the development of buildings and houses in flood zones, those houses are getting waterlogged… So we are conducting rescue operations,” he added.
“We are appealing to people to vacate houses… Ola company was served 2 notices by police administration to move vehicles… Nearby villages have been evacuated. No casualties…” said Anil Yadav, DCP (Central), Noida.
Meanwhile, two boys, aged 16 and 18, died after they accidentally slipped into the deep waters of the Hindan in Ghaziabad’s Karhera village on Sunday. Officials were able to recover their bodies a day later.
Ghaziabad MP and Union Minister VK Singh directed officials to provide ration and relief measures to flood-affected people.
Flood-distress worsened as power supply was disrupted in some areas, including Raj Nagar Extension, on Monday after two electrical substations at Kanha Upaban and Morti were inundated by eight feet of water.
Delhi’s Yamuna followed a downward trend on Tuesday and fell below the danger level of 205.33 meters but remained above the ‘alert level’. The rise in river levels followed an increase in water discharge from Hathnikund barrage in Haryana due to continued heavy rains in the upland wetlands of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.