NEW DELHI, July 14 (Xinhua) -- The flooding in the Indian capital was exacerbated on Friday as waters of overflowing Yamuna River reached the entrance of the Supreme Court.
Officials said the flood situation aggravated as a regulator of the Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control Department suffered damage near Indraprastha, causing flooding in ITO and surrounding areas.
"Engineers have been working the whole night. I have directed the chief secretary to seek help of army/National Disaster Response Force but this should be fixed urgently," Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal wrote on social media.
The water level of Yamuna River at Old Railway Bridge has crossed the danger mark and is flowing at 208.40 meters, recorded around 9:00 a.m. local time.
The release of water from the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana has caused the Yamuna River to spill over onto parts of Delhi amid incessant rainfall throughout the week, officials said.
At many places, pedestrians were seen wading through the water.
"Movement of traffic is restricted from Geeta Colony Flyover towards Rajghat and ISBT, Kashmere Gate due to rise in water level of Yamuna River. Commuters are advised to plan their journey accordingly," the traffic police said in an advisory.
The Delhi government has already shut down schools, colleges, crematoriums, and even water treatment plants in the wake of the flooding.
Authorities have said that there will be drinking water and power cuts in some areas of the national capital.
As a precautionary measure, the entry of heavy goods vehicles into the city from the four borders has been banned. However, vehicles carrying essential items including vegetables and milk have been exempted from the ban.
The flood situation in Delhi comes at a time when north India has been hit hard by monsoon mayhem. Large-scale destruction has taken place in Himachal Pradesh due to landslides and flash floods.
Meanwhile, the Central Water Commission has predicted that the water levels will fall later in the day.
