Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal addressed the media after the DDMA meeting held today, in view of the flood situation in Delhi. Besides the CM, the meeting was attended by Revenue Minister Ms Atishi, Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj and concerned department officials. The CM announced several decisions that have been taken in the meeting to control the situation.
CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal said, “Schools, colleges and universities will remain closed till this Sunday. All government offices, barring those which cater to essential services, will work from home. We are issuing advisories to private offices to work from home as much as possible.”
The CM also informed that there would be a significant water shortage in the city in the coming few days. Flooding waters have entered Delhi Government’s WTPs at Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla putting them temporarily out of use. As per the CM, about 25% of the supply will be affected due to this. Citizens are being advised to ration water for the next 1-2 days post which the situation is expected to easen.
The CM also informed that the entry of heavy vehicles except those carrying essential supplies would be temporarily barred from all borders of the state. The CM acknowledged that setting up toilets and washrooms has become a challenge in some relief camps as kawar camps have also been set up around Delhi. “So we have decided to shift some of the relief camps into school buildings,” he said.
CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal also informed that NDRF teams with boats have been stationed and are at work in the flood affected areas. “According to our estimates, more than 20,000 people have been shifted to the relief camps. There are about 50 boats at present, but if needed, the number may be increased as per requirement,” he said.
The CM also informed that since there is no reservoir at the Hathnikund Barrage water is being discharged towards Delhi continuously. “We are receiving hourly data on the same. We are estimating that the water released last night will lead to a rise in the Yamuna waters today, and most likely by tomorrow, it’ll subside again,” he concluded.
