5 gates at ITO barrage obstructing Yamuna’s flow, says Bharadwaj

Delhi Water minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday said that five

gates at the ITO barrage are disrupting the flow of the Yamuna water.

During an inspection of the barrage near the Delhi Secretariat, Bharadwaj said five of the 32 gates are jammed due to silt accumulation,

hindering the quick drainage of river water.

“We are actively working to open these gates. A compressor has been brought from the Kondli plant to remove the silt surrounding the gates. If the gates fail to open, gas cutters will be used,” he said.

Somnath Bharti, the Delhi Jal Board vice-chairman, meanwhile, shared a video on Twitter that purports to show a dry canal and accused the

BJP-led Haryana government of diverting flood water from the Hathnikund barrage to Delhi while other channels remain dry.

“Someone residing near Hathnikund has shared this video, which clearly shows that one channel supposedly leading towards Uttar Pradesh is completely dry, while Hathnikund surplus water is being diverted towards Delhi. This raises an important question that demands an answer. Is the unprecedented flooding orchestrated by the BJP as a political vendetta against the people of Delhi for consistently electing the Aam Aadmi Party since 2013?” he said in the tweet.

The ferocious Yamuna turned roads into rushing streams, parks into watery labyrinths, and homes and shelters into submerged realms, severely disrupting daily life in the national Capital.