On Thursday, parts of north-west Delhi experienced flooding due to a breach in a canal supplying water from a nearby state. A senior local official mentioned in a social media post that repair work was underway to minimize the impact. Residents of the capital have faced a series of extreme weather events over the past two months, ranging from scorching temperatures to floods and heavy rainfall that led to a roof collapse at the city's airport.
Delhi Water Minister Atishi stated on X that early morning saw a breach in one of the sub-branches of the Munak Canal, with water being diverted to another sub-branch. Visuals from ANI news agency, in which Reuters holds a minority stake, depicted residents wading through knee-deep muddy water in the Bawana district of north-west Delhi. The Munak canal is located on the Yamuna river near Delhi's northwestern border with Haryana, which operates the canal. No casualties have been reported so far from the latest flooding.
Recently, parts of Delhi have faced a severe water shortage following the hottest summer on record, prompting Atishi to go on a brief hunger strike demanding more water for the city. Delhi primarily relies on the Yamuna river, which runs through the capital and flooded a year ago after heavy rains. Additionally, multiple rivers in India's eastern state of Bihar are nearing the point of breaching their banks due to water flowing downstream from neighboring Nepal, where parts were also flooded earlier this week. Heavy rainfall in Assam has triggered flash floods in recent weeks, resulting in at least 79 deaths and thousands displaced.
