In recent days, India’s capital Delhi has been hit by a real natural disaster. Heavy rains, unprecedented in the last 45 years, caused flooding of three complexes of sewage treatment plants, which led to the reduction of drinking water supply by a quarter. The situation was so serious that some areas of the metropolis will remain without water until the consequences of the floods are eliminated.
The cause of such powerful flooding was the river Jamna, which overflowed its banks after record heavy rains this season. The rainfall in the capital was 112% above average, which led to flooding of not only sewage treatment systems but also many other infrastructure facilities. Delhi was not the only one affected by the weather – the states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh received 100% and 70% more rainfall respectively.
The situation has caused serious concern to the Delhi authorities, who have taken urgent measures to minimize the impact of the floods. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that restrictions on drinking water supply would affect some parts of the city. At the same time, he assured the people of Delhi that all efforts would be made to quickly restore the treatment systems after the recession of water in the river Jamna.
However, the drinking water supply problem is just one of the many that Delhi residents have to face. The inundation of a lot of infrastructure, including roads and bridges, has led to serious transportation problems. Many people have been cut off from the rest of the city, and local authorities have had to organize evacuation and relief efforts.
Experts note that such natural disasters are becoming more frequent and severe in different parts of the world. Climate change and global warming jeopardize not only the ecological situation, but also the lives and well-being of people. Scientists warn that such floods and other disasters may become commonplace in the future unless urgent measures are taken to combat climate change.
