Delhi Flood: CM Kejriwal Declares Compensation For Flood-Hit Families, Report Says No Flood Meeting Held For 2 Years — Latest Updates

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced that every family affected by Delhi floods would be compensated with Rs 10,000.

Kejriwal also announced that the government would also compensate government documents and children's school books washed away in floods.

In another development, a report said that the apex flood control committee headed by Kejriwal did not hold any meeting over the past two years. 

For the past week, Delhi has witnessed record flooding and the administration has struggled to deal with the situation and has sought help from the Indian Army and Indian Navy to repair the breached regulator and open the jammed gates at ITO barrage. 

While the water level in Yamuna receded on Sunday, it continues to remain above the danger mark of 205.33 metres and areas like Yamuna Bazar and Nigambodh Ghat remain waterlogged, as per visuals from Sunday morning. 

Rs 10,000 compensation to families, special camp for lost documents

Delhi CM Kejriwal announced compensation of Rs 10,000 to all flood-affected families on Sunday and also said the government would help compensate for documents and school books washed away in the floods.

In a tweet in Hindi, Kejriwal said, "Lots of poor people living on the banks of Yamuna have suffered great losses. Some families have lost all of their belongings."

Kejriwal then listed the three kinds of compensation. 

"One, as financial aid, we will give Rs 10,000 to every flood-affected family. Two, those who have lost documents like Aadhaar Card, we will hold special camps for them. Three, those children who have lost uniforms and books will be provided books by schools," said Kejriwal.

Yamuna still flowing above danger level

Though the Yamuna water level has reduced, it still flowing above the danger mark of 205.33 metres in Delhi.

The PTI on Sunday reported that the Yamuna water level at 205.85 metres by 1 pm.

The water level in Yamuna on Saturday showed signs of receding, but the relief was short lived as late evening showers caused further waterlogging of several roads, reported PTI. 

The PTI further reported that the decline in the water level is in large part attributable to the decreasing flow from the Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana's Yamunanagar over the last two days.

Chandrawal water treatment plant restarted

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday morning said that Chandrawal water treatment plant has also started.

Earlier, the three water plants at Okhla, Chandrawal, and Wazirabad were shut because of the rise in Yamuna water level.

The Okhla water treatment plant had started operations on Friday. The Delhi government had said that Chandrawal and Wazirabad plants were likely to opened on Sunday. 

“Once they are dried out adequately, they will be put back in the system. Yesterday evening, Okhala WTP was restarted in full capacity and by tomorrow afternoon the other two WTPs will be started,” said Delhi Jal Board (DJB) Vice Chairman Somnath Bharti to Hindustan Times on Saturday.

Top flood committee headed by CM Kejriwal didn't meet in two years: Report

A report said that Delhi's top flood control committee headed by CM Kejriwal did not meet for two years.

The report comes amid war of words between Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While the AAP claimed that the Delhi floods were a result of a conspiracy hatched by BJP, the BJP demanded for a judicial probe into whether the AAP government carried out any desilting in Delhi and how much money was spent on it.

The report by PTI, by citing Delhi Raj Nivas sources, said that the Apex Committee to Review, Recommend, Supervise and Coordinate Flood Control Measures in NCT of Delhi, headed by Kejriwal, did not hold a meeting in the last two years. The high-powered committee consists of all government ministers, Delhi MPs, four MLAs of the AAP, and chief secretary, along with other stakeholders like Delhi Development Authority, GOC-Indian Army, and member of Central Water Commission (CWC). 

The AAP denied the charge and said that Delhi ministers Atish and Saurabh Bharadwaj conducted a meeting on May 9 and a flood control order was issued as per the due process. 

Sources from the Raj Nivas, however, told PTI that Kejriwal chose not to be part of the meeting and did not let it take place last year as well. 

The Apex Committee takes into account the threats and projections, assesses preparedness and ensures a foolproof seamless coordination mechanism between various departments and agencies, including those from the Centre, to handle any eventuality, reported PTI, citing sources, adding that the meeting is scheduled towards the end of June before the onset of monsoon. 

"As chairman of the Apex Committee to Review, Recommend, Supervise and Coordinate Flood Control Measures in NCT of Delhi, CM Kejriwal chose not to let the Committee's mandatory meeting scheduled in June-end this year, despite the revenue department moving a file to this effect on June 19. Even last year, Kejriwal did not let this meeting happen," a Raj Niwas source said.

The divisional commissioner, who is also the convener of the committee, requested Kejriwal on June 21 to suggest a suitable date and time for convening the mandatory meeting of the Apex Committee in the last week of June and the file was submitted to Kejriwal through Revenue Minister Atishi, reported PTI, and added that the sources further claimed that the file was returned on June 26 to Atishi, with the noting that, "Honourable CM has desired that the Honourable Minister (Revenue) may convene the meeting", of the Apex Committee, which is chaired by the CM".

"Her OSD instructed the Divisional Commissioner to have a short meeting (not the Apex Committee) for releasing the Flood Control Order 2023, on June 30 at 6.30 pm in her conference room with principal secretary (irrigation and flood control), DM (East) and other officials," the source claimed.

The PTI reported, "The meeting chaired by Atishi did not have the presence of chief secretary, police commissioner, MCD commissioner, CEO of Delhi Jal Board and various other important stakeholders, leave apart the representatives from the CWC. This happened because Atishi "did not ask" for them to be present in the meeting, the sources alleged."

The meeting subsequently happened on July 6, "after which a perfunctory half-baked flood control order was issued without taking the main stakeholders into confidence", said sources to PTI.

The AAP refuted the charges and said in a statement that the government has been regularly reviewing the situation since May.

"On May 9, Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj and PWD Minister Atishi jointly chaired a meeting where all departments including PWD, MCD, I&FC, DJB, DDA and NDMC were present and preparations for floods and waterlogging were reviewed," said the AAP government said in a statement.

The statement further said that besides the May 9 meeting, regular interdepartmental meetings have been happening to iron out any issues regarding floods and waterlogging. It added that Kejriwal himself has been monitoring the situation and the 'Flood Control Order' was issued as per the due process, keeping Delhi's historical data in mind.

People start returning to North Delhi

The PTI reported that North Delhi residents who had left after an overflowing Yamuna ravaged their shops and dwellings have begun to trickle in now that the river is retreat with little to no rain in the past few days in the city. 

"A few returned to take stock of their shops at the monastery market near Kashmiri Gate, which was flooded after the last week's rain, leaving the entire market covered in sludge and flotsam and residents with no choice but to move out to relief camps," reported PTI.

BJP demands probe after AAP alleges BJP conspiracy in floods

After the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claims that the Delhi floods were a result of a conspiracy hatched by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the BJP on Sunday demanded a judicial probe into whether any desilting of Yamuna river and drains in the city was done by the AAP government.

If yes, the BJP sought to know through the probe that how much money was spent on it, reported PTI.

Addressing a press conference, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva alleged no desilting of Yamuna and drains was carried out by the Kejriwal government and the flood in Delhi was caused because of this failure, reported PTI. 

Alleging "corruption and carelessness" of AAP government as the reason behind the flood, Sachdeva said meeting of an apex committee on flood control, headed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has not been held in the last two years, reported PTI.

Earlier, the AAP had claimed that the Delhi floods were a result of a conspiracy hatched by the AAP.

AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, "It has not rained in Delhi for three days. Then, what is the cause of rain? The cause is the conspiracy hatched by the BJP. In such situations, the hatred hidden in Modi Ji's heart comes out. I speak with full responsibility that this flood is pre-planned."

Singh accused the BJP-run Haryana of releasing all of the Hathni Kund Barrage's water into Delhi. He said had this water been released evenly, such a situation would not have reached. 

"Water from Hathni Kund Barrage goes to Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi. But from July 9, all water was released towards Delhi. If this water was released evenly, then there would be no flood condition today. Why is BJP doing this. Delhi gave seven MPs to BJP. It would have been better if all of them appealed to Modi Ji to not release all the water towards Delhi," AAP quoted Singh as saying in Hindi on Twitter.