Yamuna continues to flow near warning level in Delhi

Officials in the Delhi government’s Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) department said that the level recorded Wednesday is below the warning mark at present and is likely to remain so unless a higher volume of water is released

On Wednesday morning, the water level of the river Yamuna at Delhi’s Old Railway Bridge was recorded at 203.78 metres. The warning level is 204.50 metres. This was after 13,433 cusec water was released from Haryana’s Hathni Kund Barrage in the Yamuna around 8am. However, this is still lower than Monday’s level of 204.38 metres, the first time this year it was recorded close to the warning mark.

Preparations are already underway in case a higher volume of water is released and evacuation operations need to be launched.(Biplov Bhuyan/HT Photo)

Officials in the Delhi government’s Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) department said that the level recorded Wednesday is below the warning mark at present and is likely to remain so unless a higher volume of water is released.

“Water is released into the barrage every four hours. On a regular basis, only 350 cusecs of water is released. During the monsoon, because of the higher volume of water in the barrage coupled with rainfall in the hilly regions, more water is released, which leads to a surge in the Yamuna. It takes about 36 to 72 hours for the released water to reach Delhi. We are continuously monitoring the water levels,” said Sanjeev Kumar, SDM (Preet Vihar) and officer-in-charge, Flood Control.

Last year, Haryana had released over eight lakh cusecs of water in a day, after which the water level breached the danger mark of 205.33 metres.

Kumar said that preparations are already underway in case a higher volume of water is released and evacuation operations need to be launched. “We have identified locations for pitching tents. Besides, since social distancing is the norm during the Covid-19 pandemic, we have also identified schools where people can be moved with enough space to maintain physical distance,” said Kumar.

Delhi had witnessed major floods in 1978 when the water level in the Yamuna rose to its highest-ever level, recorded at 207.49 metres.