Waters from the raging Yamuna river inundated several parts of Delhi on Thursday, throwing normal life out of gear and prompting authorities to close all schools and colleges till July 16 and ban the entry of heavy goods vehicles engaged in non-essential services.

The city is staring at a drinking water shortage as the Delhi government decided to cut down supply by 25 per cent following the closure of three water treatment plants — Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla — due to the rising level of the Yamuna.

Although the Yamuna water level remained stable for three hours on Thursday, it started rising again to reach 208.66 by 7 pm, three metres above the danger mark of 205.33 metres.