New Delhi: Cots floated in murky floodwater, while families waded through knee-deep currents, balancing their hard-earned belongings on their heads. Some carried bundles of clothes, others lifted wooden cupboards together, trying to save what little they could as the Yamuna crossed the danger mark in Delhi on Tuesday. At Madanpur Khadar, a floodplain in southeast Delhi, farmers rushed to pull out their last harvest even as the rest of the crop was destroyed. "We are leaving because the water level is rising every hour and the fields are submerged," said Rama Shankar, a farmer. "My uncle worked so hard to grow the crops but everything is ruined. What else can we do now," he rued.
For many, the loss is not just of land and crop, but of homes too. "Water has entered the fields and our huts are also flooded. Police came to tell us to move, but no arrangements have been made for us," said a resident of Madanpur Khadar. Another farmer, Vikas, said his family's livelihood has been wiped away. "My father grows vegetables and our family depends on farming. More than half our fields are under water and the level is still rising." At 8 am, officials said the river was flowing at 205.8 metres at the Old Yamuna Bridge, above the danger mark of 205.33 metres. Water discharges from the Hathnikund, Wazirabad and Okhla barrages have further added to the swelling river. Authorities have been making announcements from boats, asking people living near the riverbanks to move to safer places. "We are constantly urging residents to vacate areas at the risk of flooding. All district magistrates have been directed to remain prepared for any flood-like situation," an official told media reporters. In parts of Trans-Yamuna, water entered houses after overnight rain. Residents in Mayur Vihar and nearby colonies woke up to flooded streets and soaked furniture. For now, those forced out of their homes are carrying whatever they can -- a chair, a cot, a sack of grain -- as the river continues to rise, leaving behind a trail of uncertainty.