E-Paper
Yamuna water level in Delhi close to warning level, touches 204.5 metres
The water discharged from Haryana’s Hathnikund Barrage exceeded the 50,000 cusecs mark for the first time this monsoon on Tuesday.
The Yamuna water level in Delhi reached 204.13 metres at 4 pm on Wednesday, just 0.37 metres short of the warning level of 204.50 metres.
The water level was recorded at 204.13 metres at 4 pm, news agency PTI reported.
The water discharged from Haryana’s Hathnikund Barrage exceeded the 50,000 cusecs mark for the first time this monsoon on Tuesday.
At 9 am, the water level was recorded at 204.1 metres, which rose to 204.13 metres by 10 am and remained at that level till 4 pm.
When released, water from the barrage takes around 48 to 50 hours to reach Delhi, with the Old Railway Bridge serving as the primary point to record the water levels.
Meanwhile, a committee under the Ministry of Jal Shakti recommended earlier that the danger levels at the Delhi Railway Bridge be revised, which were already revised a few years ago. However, this was criticised by experts who said the recommendation is similar to shifting the goalpost.
Talking about the rising water levels of Yamuna, Bhim Singh Rawat, an activist and member of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, told PTI that, "these points relate to siltation and floodplain encroachment, raising the riverbed in Delhi.” He said that instead of increasing warning and danger levels, the government should first conduct a geomorphological study of the river's upper segment.
Last year, despite the heavy rainfall, Yamuna missed touching the warning level with the peak water level recorded at 204.38 metres in late September. However, in 2023, the water level broke records with a catastrophic flood, reaching 208.66 metres. At the time, areas like Mayur Vihar, ITO, Salimgarh bypass and Civil Lines were submerged and displayed people.
As per the Delhi government’s flood control plan, the first warning is officially issued only when the discharge from Hathnikund barrage exceeds 1 lakh cusecs, a mark still far off for now.
