New Delhi: Crematoriums located at Nigambodh Ghat, Geeta Colony, Wazirabad and Sarai Kale Khan have been closed in view of the flooding in various parts of Delhi due to Yamuna waters, Mayor Shelly Oberoi said on Friday.
The flood-like situation in Delhi has not only interrupted life in the national Capital but also inundated crematoriums located near the raging Yamuna making it difficult for people who have lost their loved ones to conduct funerals.
After breaching a 45-year record three days ago, water levels in the Yamuna here came down to 208.35 metres at 11 am on Friday even as several key areas in Delhi remained inundated. The level further went down to 208.27 m at 1 pm.
“Due to floods in Delhi, crematoriums at Nigambodh Ghat, Geeta Colony, Wazirabad and Sarai Kale Khan are closed,” Oberoi tweeted.
She shared a list of other cremation sites where people could go for funerals, and advised them to consider alternative cremation grounds.
On Thursday, the water level had started rising after remaining stable for three hours and reached 208.66 metres by 7 pm, three metres above the danger mark of 205.33 metres.
The Yamuna in Delhi swelled to 207.71 metres on Wednesday, breaching its all-time record of 207.49 metres set in 1978.
Meanwhile, the floodwaters reached the entrance of the Supreme Court in central Delhi and submerged the busy ITO intersection and Rajghat as the Irrigation and Flood Control Department’s regulator was damaged.
Nigambodh Ghat, a place preferred by many for the last rites, is flooded as waters from the swollen river have rendered the places practically dysfunctional.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Wednesday had issued an advisory asking people not to go to Nigambodh Ghat to carry out last rites. The crematorium in Geeta Colony too was closed due to the rise in Yamuna water levels.
The Delhi civic body has advised people to take the bodies to other cremation grounds at Panchkuian Road, Sat Nagar, Punjabi Bagh, Green Park, Dakshinpuri or preferably in their neighbourhood.
On Thursday, visuals emerged on social media of some people performing rituals on a raised platform outside Nigambodh Ghat as the inside of the cremation site and the road outside are flooded with river waters. Many had come to collect mortal remains left after cremation but the waters submerged the ashes in the premises of the crematorium.
Mayor Oberoi on Thursday inspected affected areas and relief camps in the city. Accompanied by MCD officials, she inspected areas around the Kashmere Gate and ITO intersection. The mayor also inspected the areas surrounding the Red Fort.