The Old Yamuna Bridge, connecting east Delhi with the national capital, was on Wednesday shut for rail and road traffic after the water level in the river rose dangerously.
“The Old Yamuna Iron Bridge has been closed as water level went above the danger mark at around noon,” a senior police official said.
Railways stopped train services on the Old Yamuna Bridge and are diverting all the trains bound for Old Delhi Railway Station and the eastern part of the country through other routes, a railway official said.
The closure of the bridge resulted in the diversion of traffic onto a highway linking Delhi with Uttar Pradesh, which resulted in further choking of roads.
Around 200 people were today evacuated from the banks of Yamuna in the capital as the water level in the river touched 205.70 metres.
With this, a total of 1,500 people, living along the banks of the river, have been shifted to around 160 relief camps set up by the city government.
The river had crossed the danger level of 204.83 metres on Friday evening following rains and since then it has been flowing above it.
Mobile medical teams and water tanks have also been pressed into service to help the affected people. Over 50 boats, 68 divers and a unit of Disaster Management Force have been deployed to meet any eventuality.
The camps were set up in areas such as Usmanpur, Madanpur Khadar and ISBT bridge, officials said.
The water level in Yamuna has also risen due to release of over four lakh cusec water by Haryana into the river in the last two days.
