Markets under water, families surviving on biscuits: Delhi reels as Yamuna floods homes

Streets turned into streams and marketplaces into pools of murky water as residents of low-lying Delhi areas rushed to save their lives and belongings as the Yamuna continued to swell. From shopkeepers in Majnu ka Tila to families in Madanpur Khadar and Badarpur, many now live in makeshift shelters, waiting for the waters to recede.

The Yamuna was flowing at 207 metres on Wednesday at 1 pm. Authorities evacuated people from low-lying areas and closed the Old Railway Bridge for traffic. But for displaced families, the real struggle will begin once the river recedes, as they piece together homes and livelihoods washed away by the flood.

At Majnu ka Tila, the busy market fell silent after water entered the lanes. Shopkeeper Anup Thapa said he evacuated his store around 11 pm. “We shifted most of our goods, but some still got spoiled. Even after the water goes, we will have to repair the shop, which will cost us,” he said.

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Thapa, who lived with his wife and a three-year-old daughter beside the shop, has moved to a roadside camp. “This is the second time after 2023. I urge the government to clean the streets and fix the area so that such incidents don’t happen again,” he added, pointing to electric wires hanging dangerously low above the floodwater.

In Madanpur Khadar, families who lost their jhuggis are staying under old plastic sheets tied along the roadside. “All our belongings are inside. We could barely take out a few things. Women are facing a lot of problems as there are no toilets,” said Tayara, a resident.

Even stray dogs climbed staircases of deserted homes to escape the rising waters.

Another person said, “Families had no food or utensils and were surviving only on biscuits and buns. We could not bring our cooking essentials, and now we have no facilities to cook – we are surviving on whatever we can buy from the kiosk.”

People were seen helping elderly parents wade through waist-deep water, while others sat in small roadside tents with whatever they had managed to save. Cars, motorcycles and furniture were submerged, while many residents stood far away, helplessly watching their homes getting submerged.

“Our shop has been closed since yesterday. The whole family depends on it. It will take days for the water to recede, and till then we have no income,” said Sachin Yadav, a shopkeeper at Monastery Market.

At Yamuna Bazaar, the scene looked as if homes and shops were standing in the middle of the river.

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“The month has just started and our earnings are already gone. We still have to pay rent and resettle everything once the water reduces,” said Rohit Kumar, a shopkeeper.

Similarly, in Badarpur, the roofs of houses were barely visible above the floodwater. Asif, a resident, stood with belongings balanced on his head. “I built this house with years of hard work to live with my wife and children, and now it is underwater. Where should we go? There are still people stuck inside,” he said.