50-ft drain breach in Jharoda Kalan area floods homes; police, NDRF teams rescue 2,000 people

New Delhi, Sep 3 (PTI) Children clung onto the shoulders of policemen who waded through neck-deep water to take them to safety as authorities persuaded people to evacuate from Jharoda Kalan and some areas of Najafgarh after a 50-foot embankment of Mungeshpur drain was breached, inundating many low-lying areas overnight in south-west Delhi.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said more than 2,000 people have been relocated to safer places.

The breach, which occurred on Tuesday night amid incessant rains lashing Harayana, Delhi and other northern states, led to nearly five feet of water entering Geetanjali Enclave and adjoining pockets of Jharoda Kalan village near Baba Haridass Nagar in Delhi’s Dwarka, officials said.

Gupta said that the repair work is underway and she has discussed the situation with Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.

According to police, water gushed into residential areas within minutes, prompting an immediate rescue operation. Teams from the police, along with NDRF officials, worked through the night to shift residents to safer locations.

Dramatic scenes unfolded through the night as police personnel held ropes to balance themselves in the neck-deep water. In some areas of Najafgarh, people were not ready to leave their homes in the hope that the water will recede. They were eventually persuaded to leave.

“It was like wading through a river in the middle of the night,” said a senior police officer, recalling the chaos after the embankment of Mungeshpur Drain gave way.

“The water rose quickly, more than five feet deep in some places. Families were shouting, children were crying, and people were trapped in their homes,” he said.

Within minutes, multiple teams of the Delhi Police reached Jharoda Kalan.

“We did not stop to think of the risk. Our priority was to get the people out,” the officer added.

Deputy Commissioner of Police of Dwarka, Ankit Singh, rushed to the site and stood in water, coordinating the rescue with a torchlight in hand.

Police personnel held ropes to balance themselves and pushed through the swirling floodwaters. “We saw children clinging to their mothers, too scared to let go. That’s when many of us lifted them on our shoulders. Their small arms were wrapped around our necks. We kept telling them, ‘Don’t be afraid, beta, we are here.’” One officer described how the little ones buried their faces against his uniform, shivering as he carried them through the water. “We were not thinking about anything else. In that moment, the only thought was to take them to safety,” he said.

The operation stretched through the night. By dawn, the classrooms of a nearby government school had turned into a temporary shelter. Videos later showed tired villagers lying on mats, while children slept curled up under blankets, safe after the ordeal.

“We were wet, exhausted and hungry,” another officer said, “but when we saw those kids finally smiling, we forgot everything. That was our reward.” It was not just a rescue mission, but a reminder of what courage and humanity look like when fear is pushed aside for the sake of others.

Gupta said the Delhi government is in constant contact with the Haryana government, and the repair work on the Mungeshpur Drain wall is being carried out on a war footing.

"I discussed over the phone at midnight with the Chief Minister of Haryana, @NayabSainiBJP ji, regarding the disaster caused by heavy rainfall and overflow leading to the erosion of the embankment near Jhajjar, Haryana, approximately 1 kilometre beyond the Delhi border at the Mungeshpur Drain.

"Officials from both Delhi and Haryana states are continuously coordinating to evacuate local people from the affected areas to safe locations and are engaged in relief operations," she said in a post on X in Hindi.

So far, more than 2,000 people have been relocated to safe places, she said, adding police, administration, DTC buses, NDRF, ambulances, and rescue teams are deployed at the site. PTI BM SLB SLB RT RT