Delhi Floods: Delhiites Prefer Metro Travel Due To Waterlogged Roads; DMRC Says 62 Lakh Commuters Recorded On July 11

According to the DMRC, the average ridership for the Delhi Metro stands at 55-60 lakh commuters. However, the transit system witnessed a surge in ridership since the floods.

New Delhi: Irked by traffic jams due to flooded and waterlogged roads, more people in Delhi preferred to travel by the Delhi Metro during the past three days. Figures shared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) indicated that more people commuted using the rapid transit system amid the floods that hit several key areas in the national capital as waters from the overflowing Yamuna River breached into the city.

According to the DMRC, the average ridership for the Delhi Metro stands at 55-60 lakh commuters. However, the transit system witnessed a surge in ridership since the floods as more people preferred to take the Metro for commuting due to flooded roads and traffic jams caused by the same.

As per a DMRC statement, on July 11, more than 62 lakh passengers took metro for travelling, while the figures for July 12 and 13 were 61,32,431 and 61,33,673 respectively. “The figures suggest that more people took the rapid transit system for commuting in this period amid flooding in several key areas in Delhi due to rise in water level of Yamuna in the last few days”, a DMRC official said.

Delhi Metro has emerged as the most preferred and reliable mode of transport in the wake of record rain witnessed in recent history and Yamuna River flooding the areas along its plain disrupting lives and movement of thousands of people in the month so far. pic.twitter.com/AXOkzJlbrf

— Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (@OfficialDMRC) July 14, 2023

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) uses the metric of journey or line utilisation, which is calculated by the number of corridors passengers use to reach their destination.

Delhi Metro also shared that on July 14, the line utilisation figures stood at 62,74,598, while the figure for July 7 was 61,63,784. From July 4-6, the ridership stood at more than 58 lakh on each of the three days.

After breaching a 45-year record three days ago, water levels in the Yamuna in Delhi came down to 208.14 metres at 7 pm on Friday even as several key areas in the city were inundated.

On Thursday, the water level had started rising after remaining stable for three hours and reached 208.66 metres by 7 pm, three metres above the danger mark of 205.33 metres.

According to Central Water Commission (CWC) data, the water level stood at 208.57 metres in the early hours of Friday and fell marginally to 208.48 metres at 5 am.

The water level in the Yamuna was 208.42 metres at 8 am. It went down further to 208.27 metres at 1 pm and 208.25 metres at 3 pm. At 6 pm, the reading stood at 208.17 metres.

The Yamuna in Delhi swelled to 207.71 metres on Wednesday, breaching its all-time record of 207.49 metres set in 1978.

Floodwaters reached the entrance of the Supreme Court in central Delhi and submerged the busy ITO intersection and Rajghat as the Irrigation and Flood Control Department’s regulator was damaged.

(With PTI inputs)