Delhi prepared to face flooding in Yamuna: Minister

Last year, incessant rainfall led to the Yamuna levels reaching the 208.66m mark on July 13 — far above the danger mark of 205.33m — leading to flooding in several parts of the city.

Delhi irrigation and flood control (I&FC) minister Saurabh Bharadwaj reviewed flood preparations at the ITO barrage on Tuesday, and said that efforts are on to ensure that unlike last year, the city is not inundated by a Yamuna in spate during this year’s monsoon.

Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj with a team of officials at the ITO barrage. (HT Photo)

Last year, incessant rainfall led to the Yamuna levels reaching the 208.66m mark on July 13 — far above the danger mark of 205.33m — leading to flooding in several parts of the city. Bharadwaj said this year, even if the Yamuna hits the levels it reached in 2023, the city will not get flooded.

“In order to prevent water accumulation in the Yamuna and avoid a flood-like situation, a new experiment has been conducted by the I&FC department. Under the “Pilot Cut” experiment, small channels are dug from accumulated soil in front of the ITO barrage. During this process, small islands of soil are formed between the artificial channels created in the Yamuna. When rainwater is released from Haryana, it will flow swiftly through these artificial channels, carrying with it the small soil islands, thereby eliminating any possibility of water stagnation and allowing the water to flow swiftly ahead. This procedure ensures that there will be no likelihood of water accumulating in the Yamuna, terminating all potential flood scenarios due to unhindered water flow,” Bharadwaj said.

The minister said that the Delhi government has also taken steps to ensure that drain regulators — iron gates that control the flow of water — do not collapse like they did last year. These regulators are usually open, and are only shut when the Yamuna’s waters swell. Last year, a regulator near the Indraprastha Metro Station broke down, causing flood water to flow onto the Ring Road and nearby areas.

“This time, to prevent such situations, all regulators have been repaired. The broken regulator has been replaced, and all other regulators have been adequately checked and serviced to prevent any issues,” Bharadwaj said.

Meanwhile, I&FC officials said that de-silting work has been underway at the ITO barrage for the last three months, and a significant amount of silt has already been removed. The functioning gates of the barrage have been opened, they said, adding that the gates which could not be opened have been removed to ensure that there is no obstruction in the flow of water.