RAGING RIVER ROARS AGAIN

Twice in three years, the Yamuna surged beyond its banks, submerging Delhi's core areas, crippling power and transport, and reminding the capital that nature's fury spares none, report Ashish Srivastava & Prabhat Shukla

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IN July 2023, relentless downpours fuelled by a rare convergence of Western Disturbances and a vigorous southwest monsoon unleashed havoc across the Yamuna basin, with Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Delhi turning into a cauldron of chaos. Overtopping embankments and swamping central Delhi, Yamuna had crossed its highest mark in over four decades. The Central Water Commission reported that the river surged past the old flood record of 207.4 m, set in 1978, climbing to a staggering 208.6 m at the old Delhi railway bridge on July 13.

The deluge transformed arteries like ITO and Rajghat into waterways.

The Supreme Court lawns lay underwater. Power substations failed, and vital government offices were rendered non-functional. Houses, roads, and commuters all bore witness to the river's ferocious leap into the urban heart.

In early September 2025, the capital crawled back into that mayhem again as heavy rainfall upstream and huge discharges from the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana sent the Yamuna surging through Delhi. It peaked at 207.4 m at the Old Railway Bridge on September 4, making it the third-highest level since 1963.

Chaos reigns supreme

In 2023, floodwater gushed into the regulators and storm drains, spilling onto Ring Road, ITO, Civil Lines and even into the compounds of Lutyens' Delhi. Members of Parliament found their homes inundated, carpets ruined, pumps malfunctioning and water tankers summoned to meet basic needs. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who resides in central Delhi, was among the first to publicly acknowledge that his home had been overtaken by the rising water. In a viral video, Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav was seen being carried by his staff members on their shoulders through waist-deep water so that he could reach his car and attend Parliament sessions. Former CM Atishi too had found her Mathura Road residence marooned by floodwater.