Slum dwellers scamper to safety in night as Yamuna swells above danger mark

Scores of people who lived in the Yamuna floodplain area in Delhi had to scamper to safety in the dark of the night as the water rose above the danger mark in the river, threatening their lives

Scores of people who lived in the Yamuna floodplain area in Delhi had to scamper to safety in the dark of the night as the water rose above the danger mark in the Yamuna River, threatening their lives and lifelong earnings.

People were forced to evacuate themselves to higher places nearby in the early hours of Tuesday after the river breached the danger mark here a day earlier.

The Yamuna floodplains provide a precarious bedding for hundreds of shanties across its wide swath where some of the poorest people of the city, mostly migrants, find shelter.

Mostly composed of small-time farmers or shopkeepers and odd-job workers, the displaced people appealed to the city government to help them tide over the crisis.

Kiran, in her mid-30s, whose family had a small farm in the floodplain, said, all of it got destroyed in the flooding, and her family members had to rush out to safety in the early hours of Tuesday.

"All our vegetables have been destroyed in the flooding. We have lost our means of livelihood as our agricultural produce is the only source of income for our family. Our huts also got destroyed. My mother-in-law fell down in the rush and got hurt," she said.

The Yamuna in Delhi has exceeded the evacuation mark of 206 metres, prompting the relocation of people residing in flood-prone areas to safer locations and the closure of the Old Railway Bridge for road and rail traffic, officials said on Tuesday.

The river crossed the danger mark of 205.33 metres in Delhi Monday evening, much earlier than anticipated.

Santosh Lal, who runs a nursery in the area, said he has been living in the area for the last 23 years.

"Every 2-3 years, such flooding takes place. The last time it happened was three years ago, and the government did send help," he said.

"This year, so far the government has not helped," he alleged.

The affected families have moved from the floodplains near Akshardham to the Mayur Vihar area, specifically Mayur Place, Pusta Road, and Khel Goan, a member of a local NGO said.

Prashant, a Civil Defence volunteer, said, "The government of Delhi has been working from 10 am to set up tents and facilities for food and beverages for the affected people."

"The Civil Defence aims to help more people," he said.

Naneh, who has been living in the area for the last five years said, around midnight, he and his family left their home and moved to the pavements on Pusta Road in Mayur Vihar.

He said they have no earnings left and "urgently need help from the government for food and water.