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Water in Hathnikund at season’s highest level, flood alert for Haryana, UP, Delhi
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday warned that the final stretch of the monsoon season will bring intense rainfall and more deadly landslides to northern states
The water level in the Hathnikund barrage rose to over 3.50 lakh cusec, the highest this monsoon, on Monday amid heavy rainfall in the catchment areas, prompting “high flood” alerts for Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi, even as incessant rain battered Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
Irrigation and water resources department (Yamunanagar) superintendent engineer RS Mittal said that the level touched 3.50 lakh cusecs at 10am.
The 70,000 cusecs to 1.5 lakh cusecs is considered “low flood”, 1.5 lakh cusecs to 2.5 lakh cusecs is “medium flood”, and above 2.5 lakh cusecs is “high flood”. One cusec is equal to 28.32 litres per second.
Mittal said the water was likely to enter low-lying areas of Haryana and take 48 to 72 hours to reach Delhi. “An alert has been issued to concerned authorities in the states. Our department teams are also on high alert along the river. Residents are advised not to venture near the Yamuna.”
Haryana’s irrigation and water resources department said there was a “low flood” situation at the barrage in Yamunanagar around midnight when the water crossed 1 lakh cusecs, prompting them to open the floodgates as alarm bells were sounded. Officials said that the water increased to the 2.50 lakh cusecs mark early morning.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday warned that the final stretch of the monsoon season will bring intense rainfall and more deadly landslides to northern states. Heavy rain killed hundreds across the Himalayan states in August.
The IMD forecast above-normal September rainfall. The precipitation was projected to exceed 109% of the long-term average extending over the next two months. The northwest region, including Delhi and the mountain ranges, recorded its wettest August since 2001.
IMD warned of episodic cloudbursts, mudslides, and landslides and asked authorities to be prepared. Large-scale devastation continued across Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Punjab as incessant rainfall triggered landslides, flash floods, road cave-ins, and infrastructure collapse.
