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Kejriwal writes to Amit Shah on Yamuna water level: 'News of flood in Delhi will not…'
Delhi CM Kejriwal has written to home minister Amit Shah seeking intervention in releasing water from Hathinikund barrage as Yamuna river water levels rise.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah on the rising water level in the Yamuna river, seeking his intervention in the release of water from the Hathinikund barrage in Haryana. Kejriwal said the water level in Yamuna isn't increasing due to rain but because of the water released from the Hathinikund barrage.
The water level of Yamuna reached 207.66 meters in Delhi at 3 pm today, much higher than the danger mark and is predicted to cross 207.72m by midnight, according to Central Water Commission,
In the letter, Kejriwal noted that the previous highest level in Yamuna was recorded in 1978 at 207.49 metres when the national capital witnessed a major flood situation.
“According to the estimate of the Central Water Commission, the level of Yamuna will reach 207.72 meters tonight, which is very worrying,” the chief minister said.
“It has not rained in Delhi for the last three days. The water level in the Yamuna in Delhi is not increasing due to the rains in Delhi, but due to the water released from the Hathinikund barrage located in Haryana,” he added, requesting the home minister to limit the speed of the release of water from Hathinikund barrage at a limited speed “so that the level of Yamuna in Delhi does not rise further.”
Noting that the G20 Summit is set to be held in a few weeks, Kejriwal stressed that the news of the flood in the national capital won't send a good message to the world.
“Delhi is the capital of the country. The G20 summit is going to be held here in a few weeks. The news of the flood in the country's capital will not send a good message to the world. Together we all have to save the people of Delhi from this situation,” he wrote.
The river had exceeded the evacuation mark of 206 metres on Monday night, prompting the relocation of people residing in flood-prone areas to safer locations and a closure of the Old Railway Bridge for road and rail traffic.
Embankments are being constructed in the low-lying areas to prevent the entry of floodwater into other parts of the capital in case the Yamuna water level rises further.
