The heavy rains that have lashed Delhi for the past three days have not only brought the Capital to a standstill with severe waterlogging and traffic jams but have also exposed a painful reality for hundreds of residents near the Yamuna River, who say they have been left to fend for themselves. With the gates of Yamuna Bank Metro station shut and a key access road submerged, roughly 200 people are stranded, without Government assistance and fearing what comes next.
On Thursday, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) arrived to assist and while the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced that the station’s interchange facility remains operational, the rising water level of the Yamuna has turned the area into an island. For those living there, the closure of the main road has made their situation desperate.
“We had to take shelter on the main road last night,” said Shyam Yadav, a small paan and tobacco shop owner, recounting how the water rose rapidly on both sides of the road leading to the metro station.
For many, this is not a new problem. “Every year, floods come and we have to take shelter, but this year things are different,” said Vinod Kumar Mondal, who has lived in the area his entire life.
The difference this time, according to residents, is the complete lack of Government relief.
“There isn’t even a single boat to cross the six feet of waterlogging that connects us to the main market areas,” Mondal added.
When asked why help was not forthcoming, Mahanand, a man in his 20s, offered a heartbreaking explanation: their homes were demolished three months ago. “Our jhuggi-jhopdi was dismantled by the administration. Now, on official records, no one is living here,” he said. “Therefore, no relief is being provided to us this time. On paper, we don’t exist in this region.”
Last year, during the severe floods of 2023, the same community received food and camp shelters. But with their homes gone and official records updated, Mahanand said police now claim no people live in the area, so no relief is needed.
The scene is one of quiet desperation. Around 150 to 200 people, including small children who have had to leave their schools, are now struggling with basic needs. “They are having huge difficulties in living,” said a local. The only source of drinking water is a single tap at a nearby temple.
Twenty-five-year-old Anup Yadav, who works in Haryana, had to rush back to help his parents who were trapped by the floodwaters. “I don’t want to come here, but I have to, because my parents are here,” he said, lying on a cot and watching videos on his phone.
With police now reportedly restricting passage, the only path out is becoming impossible to use, leaving the residents completely stranded. They fear that if the metro were to shut down completely, their plight would worsen even further.