Delhi braces for a deluge

Record 7.3 lakh cusecs of water released into the Yamuna

The national capital is staring at the worst floods since 1978 with the ever swelling Yamuna getting the highest water discharge from Haryana late Sunday evening. More than seven lakh cusecs were released into the river from the Tajewala barrage in Haryana, the highest this season.


Liquidity: Waterlogging at Laxmi Nagar underpass near ITO on Sunday.
pic/Rajeev Tyagi

The all-time record of water discharge dates back to 1978 when more than 7 lakh cusecs of water released at the barrage swamped Delhi.

While the water discharge during the day remained between 2 -3 lakh in the evening, at around 9 pm and 11 pm, 6.91 lakh cusecs of water was released from Tajewala which would reach city around Tuesday evening.

At Around 1 am the water discharge was 7.31 lakh cusecs barely .18 meters less than what it was in 1978. The water level in Yamuna was 205.21, 38 cm above the danger mark which the Central Water Commission in its forecast has predicted to be at 205.65 meters at 5 pm on Monday.

The officials in New Delhi flood control department said the major cause for worry was that it has been raining for the past three days in Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Punjab which could result in further rise in the water level. "Also the dams upstream have been overflowing now. There have been breaches at several places along the river," said a senior Delhi government official.u00a0u00a0

The last time the city saw such massive flooding was in 1978, when the water level in the Yamuna had gone up to 207.49m.