25 families rescued by NDRF from flooded Gzb villages

Ghaziabad: As floodwaters rose swiftly in Badarpur Khadar village near Delhi border, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams rescued several families from inundated homes to relief shelters set up along the Pushta Road. In Loni, Yamuna's water level has been rising steadily since Tuesday morning following heavy rainfall in its catchment and a consistent discharge of over one lakh cusecs from Haryana's Hathinikund barrage. By Wednesday afternoon, the river's water level was recorded at 211.7 metres, well above the official danger mark of 209. In comparison, the highest flood level in 2023, when the region saw its worst inundation in decades, stood at 212.15 metres. On Tuesday, the water level was recorded at 210 metres near Pachyera. "The 18-km Alipore embankment that shields villages in Loni and adjoining Baghpat is holding for now, but the water level is anticipated to rise further. Sandbags have been readied should the water breach," Binod Kumar Singh, executive engineer, UP irrigation department, said. District officials said 150 people displaced from the floodplains in Loni have been shifted to govt shelters. In Badarpur Khadar, about 25 families, who stayed back to guard their valuables even as the river water flooded ground-floor homes, had to be evacuated by the NDRF. "Twelve shelters are now operating in the area, providing food, drinking water and medicines," ADM Saurabh Bhatt said. In Pachyera village, where the Yamuna has swallowed up swathes of farmland, residents are anxious. "Most of the workers who tend the fields have either gone back to their villages or moved into camps along the embankment," Ramanand Singh, a farmer, said. Another resident, Babbu, said fear hung heavy across Loni. "If the embankment gives way, at least 25 villages will be hit," he said. "We know more water is coming downstream from the Hathnikund barrage. The administration is preparing, but there is panic." In 2023, nearly 40,000 people were displaced from the floodplains after the Yamuna breached its banks. Hindon, meanwhile, remained four notches below the danger level, at 201 meters, though it has already inundated low-lying colonies built on its floodplain. "Eight areas are considered flood-prone. We have officials stationed in each to monitor the situation round the clock," tehsildar Atul Tyagi said.