As Hindon swells, river water enters houses in Gautam Budh Nagar

Despite the administration’s prompt flood warnings, some residents found themselves caught off-guard as the waters breached their homes, forcing them to evacuate hastily

Gautam Buddha Nagar and Ghaziabad districts are facing an impending crisis as the Hindon River swells, putting the residents living at the floodplains at risk of a devastating flood.

Close to 50 people, including women and kids, are residing at a primary school in Chhajarsi. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

Heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh has led to an increase in water discharge from the Hathnikund Barrage, causing the Hindon river, a tributary of the Yamuna, to swell.On Sunday, the water discharge from the Hindon river in Noida surged to a staggering 22,000 cusecs. The water level continued to rise rapidly, reaching this alarming figure within a mere six hours, after being recorded at 15,000 cusecs on Saturday at 8pm.

Atul Kumar, ADM (Finance), said, “As the situation worsens, the focus is on the flood-affected villages, including Haibatpur, Chotpur, Bahlolpur, Chhajarsi, and Yusuf Chak Saberi, where nearly 3,50,000 people reside. Among them, 120 individuals have already been impacted by the rising waters.”

Despite the administration’s prompt flood warnings, some residents found themselves caught off-guard as the waters breached their homes, forcing them to evacuate hastily.

Jamuna Devi, a frail 90-year-old from Chhajarsi village, said, “River water started entering my home on Saturday evening. As soon as I heard a group of policemen approaching the village and asking villagers to vacate their homes, I somehow managed to pack a few clothes, and with the help of neighbors, I left my home.”

“Since last night, no one came to give us food, I have no one in my family. What can I do?” said Devi.

Administration’s rescue efforts faced challenges

In response to the crisis, the administration swiftly set up primary schools as shelter homes for the displaced residents. However, conditions in these makeshift shelters have been far from ideal. Many reported inadequate food supplies, uncomfortable living conditions, and power cuts at some shelters.

Gyan Chand, along with his seven family members, said, “Without any facility or food, we were shifted to a school. My family has been hungry since morning, and no one from the administration approached us to provide food.”

Close to 50 people, including women and kids, are residing at a primary school in Chhajarsi.

Another flood affected resident,Prem,who is taking shelter in these schools, said, “The power was cut off on Sunday around 2 am till 6am. There are 15 people in a room, how can we survive in such a temperature?”

According to ADM Kumar, administration has been requesting people to leave their homes, but most of them are not coming to shelter homes, where food facilities are available.

Despite the challenges, the administration managed to evacuate 225 people from the Hindon floodplains, with 120 individuals being rescued from Dadri tehsil and others from Sadar tehsil.

According to BK Singh, the executive engineer of the Agra-Canal Okhla, irrigation department, the water level discharged from the Hindon Barrage in Ghaziabad on Sunday at 4pm reached 22,987 cusecs. “The upstream level was reported to be at 201 metres , while the downstream level stood at 200.85 metres . Notably, the danger level is set at 205.8 metres , highlighting the severity of the situation,” he said.

Meanwhile, the water level of the Yamuna in Okhla barrage remained below the danger mark with downstream level of 199.10 metres at 4 pm, while the danger level is 200.60 metres .

However, Yamuna in Delhi once again breached the danger level mark on Sunday. At 8 am, the water level at Old Yamuna Bridge was recorded at 205.9 metres . The danger mark for the Yamuna River stands at 205.33 metres .