Amidst several days of torrential rains that paralyzed Delhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said it is not the time to point fingers at anyone as the city battles floods.
Kejriwal said that the priority is to rescue people and provide relief to them. The government is on a war footing to deal with the situation, he said.
The city's drainage system was not designed to take such heavy rains, he said. The city has experienced more than 150 mm of rain in the last 24 hours, more than the average annual rainfall.
It's not the time to point your finger at each other. The governments of all affected states must work together to provide relief to the public, he said.
The government is improving the city's drainage system, Kejriwal said. The government is also working to raise the height of the flood walls along the Yamuna River, he said.
As per weather predictions, water level in Yamuna will not increase much, so it is unlikely that there will be a flood, he said.
Kejriwal's statement came as he chaired a high-level meeting in Delhi to take stock of the situation after record-breaking rains brought Delhi to a standstill. He said the city had 153 mm of rain on July 8 - 9, which is the highest in the past 41 years.
The water level in the Yamuna river is expected to rise, but he said that a flood-like situation is unlikely in Delhi. The government is closely watching the situation and is taking all necessary measures to prevent floods, he said. On Sunday, Haryana poured more than 1 lakh cusecs of water into the Yamuna River.
CWC has calculated that the river Yamuna flows at 203.58 meters in Delhi. It is expected to reach 205.5 metres on Monday. According to weather forecasts, the water level in Yamuna is not expected to rise too high. If Yamuna crosses the 206m mark, then we will start evacuation along the banks of the river, he said.