Low-lying residential hubs flooded

For 20-year-old Mamta Singh, the sound of rushing water in the early hours of Tuesday was familiar, but the familiarity made it no less terrifying.

- Aaditya Khatwani [e-mail]

As the Yamuna swelled through the night, it surged into her family’s modest home in Yamuna Bazaar, destroying nearly everything inside. By morning, Singh and seven members of her family were moved into one of the temporary tents erected by the Delhi government opposite the old ghats, where most houses now stood half-submerged.

“Everything in our house -- our fridge, our cooler, our clothes, our furniture -- is ruined. We will have to buy everything again, which is impossible for us right now,” Singh said, sitting inside the cramped tent, still dazed.

On Tuesday morning, the Yamuna touched a seasonal peak of 205.95 metres at 4am before receding slightly. However, the river remained above the danger mark of 205.33 metres through the day. Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta visited the locality in the morning, walking through waterlogged lanes and speaking with families. Even after her departure, the devastation was stark: people wading through knee-deep murky water, children helping elderly parents balance on slippery pathways, and residents frantically retrieving whatever belongings had not been swept away. Electricity was cut off to prevent electrocution, further complicating life.