'River corrects course...' Social media abuzz with viral before and now photos of Yamuna and Red Fort

The national capital city Delhi is currently grappling with an unprecedented situation as heavy rainfall and flooding in the Yamuna River have caused a flood-like scenario. After almost four-and-a-half decades, the mighty river has surged to its highest levels, resulting in the submersion of parts of the city and the mandatory evacuation of thousands of residents from neighbouring areas.

As the water breached the danger mark and encroached upon nearby regions, captivating images emerged from the iconic Red Fort, revealing the river reaching the walls of this historical landmark. These pictures prompted internet users to share comparative visuals of the Yamuna, highlighting how the river used to flow near the back wall of the Red Fort in the past.

On Twitter, a user with the handle Worah | #WalkingInDelhi recalled how 'back in the day, the Yamuna used to flow right behind the red fort. The river has since changed course and meandered much to the East since 1857, mostly due to a natural flow aided by infrastructural changes.' 

Another user Harsh Vats shared images of the flooded Red Fort alongside a Mughal-era painting that depicted the same area centuries ago when the River Yamuna naturally flowed there. The user captioned the post with a thought-provoking statement: "A river never forgets! Even after decades and centuries pass, the river would come back to recapture its borders. Yamuna reclaims its floodplain."

Numerous online users pointed out that the areas currently inundated by the river were floodplains of the Yamuna for centuries, demonstrating the river's remarkable memory of its course even after long periods of time.

Returning to the present situation, the Yamuna River has remained above the danger mark since Sunday and surpassed the previous record of 207.49 meters on Wednesday. The river's water even entered the grounds of Mahatma Gandhi's memorial at Rajghat, submerging lawns and pathways. 

Furthermore, floodwaters from the overflowing Yamuna reached the entrance of the Supreme Court in central Delhi due to damage sustained by a regulator of the Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control Department at Indraprastha late Thursday. To aid in the rescue efforts within the flood-affected areas of the capital, sixteen teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed.