Pregnant woman spends night perched on tree during floods

NEW DELHI: A pregnant woman and her family spent an entire night on a tree to save themselves from the waters of the overflowing Yamuna that submerged their hut in Usmanpur area of New Delhi.

Scared and witless, when the floodwaters entered her house, Noorjahan used a pile of wood to climb the tree to save herself and her two children.

When her husband, Jahangir, a rickshaw puller, managed to get back home late at night he too took shelter on the tree.

The family spent the entire night there and called up police only at 11 am on Wednesday, a government official said. A team of policemen and doctors rushed to the spot and rescued the family around 12 noon.

Noorjahan said that she couldn’t dial her husband, as she was too frightened to able to think clearly.

The water level of the Yamuna started receding on Wednesday, but the river still continues to flow above the danger mark.

According to the flood control room, the water level came down to 206.50 metres at 5 pm from 206.60 metres at 2 pm.

The river breached the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Monday. Due to inundation of low-lying areas, over 15,000 people living in Yamuna floodplains have been shifted to tents set up by various government agencies, officials said.