The Yamuna river in Delhi has surged above its danger mark after days of torrential rain, forcing thousands to evacuate as widespread flooding devastates communities across both India and Pakistan.
In India’s capital, officials said nearly 10,000 people living along the Yamuna’s banks were moved to relief camps after the swollen river threatened to inundate low-lying neighbourhoods. Schools were closed and authorities urged residents to remain indoors.
The Central Water Commission confirmed the river breached its danger level late on Tuesday.
The flooding comes amid one of the harshest monsoon seasons in years, with at least 130 people killed in north India during August alone.
On Wednesday, fresh landslides in Jammu and Himachal Pradesh killed at least five more people as the Chenab and Tawi rivers burst their banks. Roads and power supplies were cut off in mountain regions, while tourist hubs in Himachal were hit by repeated landslides.
Neighbouring Punjab has also been hard hit by one of its hardest floods in decades. State officials said 30 people have died and nearly 20,000 have been evacuated since August, with floodwaters destroying more than 150,000 hectares of crops in India’s breadbasket.
Across the border in Pakistan’s Punjab province, the situation is worsening. Authorities said nearly 300,000 people have been evacuated in the past 48 hours after India issued new flood alerts, bringing the total displaced in recent weeks to around 1.3 million.
Despite suspending the Indus Water Treaty during hostilities in May, India has been issuing alerts before releasing water downstream from its swollen rivers as both countries suffer from a deadly monsoon.
In Pakistan, floodwaters have submerged villages in Muzaffargarh, Narowal and Sialkot, while rescue crews using boats and drones have been searching for people stranded on rooftops.
Last week's deluge also submerged the shrine of Guru Nanak, located near the Indian border. However, authorities said the shrine is being reopened for pilgrims after water receded and the building was cleaned and restored.
Provincial officials said more than 3.3 million people across 33,000 villages in Pakistan have been affected since late August. The National Disaster Management Authority reported at least 881 deaths nationwide since the start of the monsoon season in June, making it the country’s worst flooding since 2022, when climate-driven deluges killed nearly 1,700 people.
Pakistan’s Punjab chief minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, visited flood-hit Muzaffargarh on Wednesday, promising compensation for families who lost homes and crops.
