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Heavy rain lashes India, Yamuna river breaches danger mark in New Delhi

10,000 people evacuated from the river banks in Delhi
Published 03 Sep, 2025 01:39pm
People stand outside their flooded houses after a rise in the water level of river Yamuna in New Delhi, India. – Reuters
People stand outside their flooded houses after a rise in the water level of river Yamuna in New Delhi, India. – Reuters

Widespread flooding has hit several parts of northern India, officials said, with more thunderstorms forecast for Wednesday as local media reported that 10,000 people were evacuated from the river banks in capital Delhi.

The monsoon season in India has been particularly intense this year, killing at least 130 people in August alone in north India, wiping out villages and destroying infrastructure.

The latest round of flooding has hit Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Indian Punjab, where the Chenab and Tawi rivers have risen above the danger mark at several spots.

People shift their beds to a safer place after a rise in the water level of the river Yamuna in New Delhi, India. – Reuters
People shift their beds to a safer place after a rise in the water level of the river Yamuna in New Delhi, India. – Reuters

The swollen rivers have triggered landslides and damaged many roads, disconnecting parts of the mountainous regions of Jammu and Himachal from the rest of India.

A woman and her daughter were killed after rains brought down a wall in their house in occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, a regional official said.

A man carries his belongings as he walks through a flooded alley in New Delhi, India. – Reuters
A man carries his belongings as he walks through a flooded alley in New Delhi, India. – Reuters

The India Meteorological Department warned of heavy to very heavy rain in the region on Wednesday, with more downpours expected in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

The Central Water Commission said the swollen Yamuna had breached its danger mark on Tuesday in Delhi.

Children sit outside their house next to a flooded alley in New Delhi, India. – Reuters
Children sit outside their house next to a flooded alley in New Delhi, India. – Reuters

Local media reported that nearly 10,000 people had been evacuated to relief camps set up by the government along the main highways as a precautionary measure for those living in low-lying areas.

Residents living along the Yamuna in Delhi were evacuated in 2023 as well after floodwaters entered their homes and the river hit its highest level in 45 years.

Munni Devi and her daughter gather their belongings before evacuating their house in New Delhi, India. – Reuters
Munni Devi and her daughter gather their belongings before evacuating their house in New Delhi, India. – Reuters

Many tourist spots in Himachal Pradesh have been hit by landslides in recent weeks, as raging rivers damaged infrastructure.

Three people were killed in Mandi district in the latest landslide, state Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Wednesday, and two more were feared trapped under the debris.

Educational institutions were ordered shut, authorities said, asking people to remain indoors due to flood warnings.

In neighbouring Punjab, the government said 30 people have been killed and nearly 20,000 evacuated since August 1.

Water gushing through the plains in India’s breadbasket Punjab state has destroyed 150,000 hectares of crops, the government said on Tuesday.

Continuous rain prompted authorities to release water from dams, which has caused flooding in the plains in India and Pakistan in recent days.

New Delhi

landslides

Himachal Pradesh

Uttarakhand

Rajouri

northern India

indian punjab

heavy flood

deadly floods

flood devastation

Yamuna river

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu