Ghaziabad: Alipur embankment breach remain unplugged after two days

The 18km long embankment serves as the primary defence against the Yamuna’s rising waters for the local population

The breach at the Alipur embankment near Subhanpur remains unplugged, despite 48 hours passing since it occurred on Thursday evening. According to officials, thousands of cusecs of water have already flooded into Ghaziabad’s Loni, adversely affecting the livelihoods of residents in the floodplains.

According to officials, thousands of cusecs of water have already flooded into Ghaziabad’s Loni, adversely affecting the livelihoods of residents in the floodplains. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The 18km long embankment serves as the primary defence against the Yamuna’s rising waters for the local population. Stretching nine kilometres each in Ghaziabad and Baghpat districts, the embankment is located upstream of Delhi’s Wazirabad.

Officials stationed at the breach site estimate that the initial repair work will be completed by the intervening night of Saturday/Sunday, with additional strengthening efforts continuing for the following 2-3 days.

“The breach was caused by an unprecedented flow of Yamuna river water. Our teams, along with myself, are currently at the site, engaged in repairs. It is anticipated that most of the breach will be plugged in by late Saturday night. Subsequently, strengthening measures will be undertaken for the next 2-3 days. Our teams are continuously monitoring the 18km embankment to promptly identify any further breaches,” said Sandeep Kumar, chief engineer (Okhla division) of the UP Irrigation Department (UPID).

When questioned about the delay in repair works, Kumar said that the diversions and processions associated with the Kanwar Yatra, has impacted the transportation of necessary materials.

“There has been a significant delay in the transportation of repair materials due to the Kanwar Yatra. For instance, if it originally took us two hours to transport materials here, it now takes 5-6 hours, even with the assistance of local administration. The roads are congested with the flow of Kanwarias, and there are diversions in place. This situation has also contributed to the delay in repair works. Furthermore, we are unable to accurately estimate the water level at the site since all the markers are submerged and not visible,” added Kumar.

Considering the Kanwar Yatra and the movement of Kanwarias, the Ghaziabad traffic police have implemented diversions across the district until the morning of July 18.

On Friday, UPID officials estimated that the breach spanned approximately 50 metres, with the water level reaching 211.8 metres on Friday, surpassing the level of 212.1 metres recorded on Thursday.

Yamuna River has exceeded its previous highest flood level (HFL) of 211.4 metres, which was recorded in 2013, as well as the previous high of 211.1 metres observed during the 1978 floods.

Ghaziabad district administration officials have said that the work is progressing at an accelerated pace.

“Work is underway, and significant issues will be resolved by late Saturday night. We have already placed around 4,000 sandbags to seal the breach. The velocity of water flowing into Loni has also slightly decreased,” said Vivek Srivastava, additional district magistrate (ADM – finance and revenue).