Educational institutions shut amid flood fears in India's capital

NEW DELHI, July 13 (Xinhua) -- All educational institutions in India's capital Delhi have been shut till Sunday over flood fears, said Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday.

The water level of Yamuna river, which flows through Delhi, continues to remain above the danger mark, triggering flood-like situations in many areas, according to Kejriwal.

He said the decision to shut the schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions was taken at a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority since new relief camps would have to be made inside schools located near the flood-affected areas.

All government offices, except those providing essential services, will have to go for working from home for the next few days. Advisory is being issued to private offices too to do so, he added.

Citing possibilities of scarcity of drinking water in Delhi over the next few days, Kejriwal said water-rationing will have to be done as Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) were shut.

Meanwhile, in a bid to decongest roads in Delhi from vehicular traffic amid fears of floods, buses coming into Delhi from other states will be stopped at the Delhi borders and local buses will be provided to ferry passengers from there, he said.