Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday inspected repair works underway at I&FC Regulator near Indraprastha Bus Stand & WHO Building.

The regulator was damaged last evening around 7:00 pm prompting immediate repairs. Breakdown of this regulator led to flooding in the area around ITO as well.

In normal circumstances, the drain lies above the level of the river and therefore the water from the drain is pumped into the river by gravitational force. But due to the record water-level in the Yamuna river, the level of the river has gone above the level of the drain. This unwanted situation causes the water from the river to enter the drain and to further flood the city.

To stop this from taking place, the drain regulator ensures that the water of the river does not flow back into the drain and therefore towards the city. However, at Drain No. 12 in the Indraprastha locality, an I & FC regulator got damaged and caused flooding in the area.

Kejriwal took instantly cognisance of the problem last evening, and directed reinforcements to be made at the damaged site. On CM’s instructions, Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj went to the site and monitored the work being carried out throughout the night and arranged for resources.

He tweeted on Friday morning that due to damage to the regulator, there has been waterlogging in and around ITO.  “Our engineers were working through the night to fix it.  I have instructed the Chief Secretary to seek the help of the Army and NDRF as well, so that it can be rectified immediately,” the tweet read.

The chief minister personally assessed the ground situation and is closely monitoring the repair work. Accompanied by Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj, Kejriwal visited the site to oversee the repair efforts. He expressed his gratitude to the engineers and staff who have been tirelessly working through the night to rectify the regulator. Acknowledging the collaborative efforts of the Government, NDRF, and the Army, the Chief Minister stated he is sparing no effort to repair the regulator and prevent water from entering the city.

Kejriwal also rebuked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for engaging in political grandstanding amidst the crisis, urging them to refrain from such acts during this critical period.

Furthermore, he emphasised that once the water level of the Yamuna subsides, all water treatment plants will resume operations, ensuring a seamless supply of safe drinking water to the residents of Delhi.

Addressing the media after the inspection, the chief minister said, “This is the biggest crisis that we are facing at the time. A regulator has been breached as the flow of the water was very high. Now that so many teams are working on this matter, I sincerely hope that we will be able to control the problem at the earliest. It is mainly because of this breach that the water is now going towards the city. On the one hand, the water levels in the Yamuna have been decreasing, so that is some positive news. But we are working hard to ensure that the water flowing towards ITO and other areas due to this breach is quickly controlled.”

He added, “In different areas, the water from the river has breached into the city from different points and reasons. For instance, here because of the damage to the regulator the water has flowed towards ITO. At Rajghat, the water has started to flow back into the city from the drain. In many other areas along the river, it is because of the overflow of the river Yamuna. The whole night our engineers and staff together tried to repair it.  I thank all the staff involved in repairing the regulator.  I hope it will be fixed by evening.”

The CM said the government is taking all necessary steps to deal with the problem. “Yesterday evening, we received information about the damage to this regulator. After that, Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj stayed at the site all night. On Friday morning, the NDRF also arrived, and everyone is working together,” he said.

Condemning the politics being played by the BJP over the damage to the regulator, Kejriwal categorically refused to give any reaction to political jibes. The Chief Minister said the BJP should not engage in politics at this time. “I don’t want to respond to whatever the BJP is saying,” he added.

Responding to the question of some gates being closed on the ITO Bridge, Kejriwal said that there are 32 gates on the bridge, out of which 5 gates are jammed. “The Haryana government is responsible for its maintenance. They are trying to open those gates since yesterday. This is not the time to blame each other. Everyone is working together. If all the gates were open, the water would come out faster,” he added.

The Delhi Chief Minister said since the water level in the Yamuna crossed the danger mark, continuous announcements have been made in the likely affected areas as part of the Munadi exercise, alerting the people about the flood.

He said that the citizens of Delhi will soon get some relief as the water levels in the river have started to recede. “There will be relief in store for the citizens of Delhi in the coming few hours as the water levels in the Yamuna river have started to recede. Last night it was 208.66 metres and today it is 208.38 metres. But there is a possibility of rain tomorrow. Still, we hope that the water level of the Yamuna, which is receding, continues to recede.”

The CM also tweeted, “A regulator at Indraprastha has been damaged due to the increased water level in the Yamuna, and repair work has been going on throughout the night. I also visited the site just now. Hopefully, it will be fixed in the next 4-5 hours. The government, NDRF, and the Army teams are working hard. Our efforts are to prevent water from entering the city.”