With heavy rains lashing North India, the Yamuna River in Delhi crossed the safety mark of 206 metres for the first time this year. The water level was recorded at 206.03 metres at the Old Railway Bridge, which has been closed to traffic. Authorities have begun evacuating people from low-lying areas as discharges from Hathnikund and Wazirabad
A man carrying his belongings walks through a flooded residential area to reach a safer place in Delhi. PIC/PTI
After Punjab, Jammu Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, heavy rainfall have wreaked havoc in the national capital too. With high volumes of water being released from the Wazirabad and Hathnikund barrages, the Yamuna River in Delhi has crossed the evacuation mark for the first time this year. Amid the heavy rainfall in the northern region and around the National Capital Region (NCR), the water flowing in the rivers passing through NCR has started to enter several low-lying areas along its banks, forcing the residents to move to safer places, reported PTI.
The water level in the Yamuna was recorded at 206.03 metres at 4 pm on Tuesday at Delhi's Old Railway Bridge (ORB), which has been closed to traffic. Earlier during the day, the river had reached the level of 205.68 metres, well above the danger mark of 205.33 metres.
Authorities have also informed that the highest flood level of the Yamuna has been recorded at 208.66 metres, which was in July 2023.
As the water level continues to rise in the Yamuna, residents living in the low-lying areas are being evacuated by the district authorities, and the ORB was temporarily closed for traffic movement, PTI reported.
While addressing the flood-like situation in the region, an official from the Central Flood Control Room stated, “Incessant rains in North India have left most of the states grappling with calamities like floods and landslides. The reason for the rising water level is mostly due to the high volumes of water released from the Wazirabad and Hathnikund barrages every hour. The forecast indicates a further increase in water level."
The river received a discharge of 1.53 lakh cusecs from Hathnikund barrage and 78,700 cusecs from Wazirabad Barrage at 4 pm. Yamuna originates in Uttarakhand and flows through Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
While the situation in Delhi now seems alarming, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta inspected the areas along the Yamuna River. During her visit she said that the government is fully prepared to handle the situation, reported PTI.
According to officials, as per the standard operating procedure, when the river crosses the evacuation mark, activities such as temporary shelters, tents and food and water supplies are arranged by the district authorities.
Water released from the barrages typically takes 48 to 50 hours to reach Delhi. Even smaller discharges from upstream are contributing to the rising water level, which has crossed the evacuation mark. Currently, the water level in the Yamuna is predicted to increase further to 206.41 metres on Tuesday.
(With inputs from PTI)
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
