Traffic came to a grinding halt on the Delhi-Noida-Direct (DND) Flyway on Friday morning as the eight-laned highway turned into a spot for commuters to stop their vehicles and click selfies in the backdrop of a swollen Yamuna, police said.
At 11.45am Thursday, the downstream gauge of the Yamuna at Okhla Barrage reached the danger level of 200.60 metres. By 5pm, the waters rose by 15cm more and touched 200.75 metres, breaching the danger level.
The last time the river had surged to such heights was in 2013, and before that in the devastating floods of 1978, when it reached 207.49 metres.
Ram Singh, traffic inspector, said, “Around 8.30 am on Friday, I received an alert regarding a multitude of commuters parking their vehicles on the Yamuna bridge to capture selfies and witness the rise in water level.”
The congestion caused by the influx of enthusiastic onlookers at the Yamuna bridge brought traffic to a standstill on the DND Flyway.
“Our traffic police swiftly responded to the situation as soon as we were informed, and deployed a team alongside the Delhi Police team to clear the bridge,” inspector Singh said, adding that even late Thursday night, people had flocked to the bridge to witness the rising water levels.
“To alleviate the traffic congestion, measures were implemented starting Thursday night. Traffic was diverted from the zero point to the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) via Kasna. Only emergency and essential vehicles, including medical and milk transportation, were permitted to enter Delhi as before,” inspector Singh said.
A commuter, Sunil Rai said, “Traffic police should deploy a few personnel on the Yamuna bridge to prevent people from halting on the bridge, as other commuters, like me, have to face difficulties,” said Rai, adding that due to today’s unnecessary traffic congestion, he reached his office around 30 minutes late.
Deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Suniti, said, “We have requested the Delhi Police to ensure smooth traffic on the Yamuna bridge, as it falls under their jurisdiction. However, on Friday, a joint team from Noida and Delhi Police worked together to clear the congestion on the bridge.”