Front portion of Nigambodh Ghat flooded as Yamuna breaches danger mark

A portion of the Nigambodh Ghat in east Delhi was flooded on Monday as the Yamuna river breached the danger mark in Delhi in the evening, officials said.

The pyres facing the river have turned into islands as Yamuna waters entered the ghat, even as a few people went on with the last rituals of their family members.

"Water from the Yamuna has entered the front portion of the ghat, where a few pyres are located. These pyres are out in the open and used generally by people from hill states, who follow their own rituals," a senior EDMC official said.

The ghat falls under the jurisdiction of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC).

"The main cremation pyres are located about 8 ft above the the pyres in the open, so no threat of water level going there. As far as people doing rituals in the open near the river, they will have to go elsewhere in Delhi like Punjabi Bagh crematorium," he said.

According to a Delhi government official, the river was flowing at 205.36 metres, just above the danger mark of 205.33 metres.

More than 10,000 people living in low-lying areas along the Yamuna were evacuated by government agencies, with the river breaching the danger mark on Monday evening.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said several teams have been formed to evacuate people living in low-lying areas along the river.