Flood advisory for villages in Noida on Yamuna and Hindon banks

The administration and the irrigation department has asked the villagers to be on alert on Tuesday. Villagers have been asked to move towards a higher ground if they see a rise in the water level on the banks of Yamuna.

The Gautam Budh Nagar district administration has issued a flood advisory for villages situated on the banks of Yamuna and Hindon rivers after Haryana released over 8.28 lakh cusecs of water from Hathni Kund Barrage on Sunday evening.

A view of the Yamuna river as the water level rises after the water released from Hathnikund Barrage. (ANI Photo)

Officials expect the released water to reach Gautam Budh Nagar by Tuesday evening.

The administration and the irrigation department has asked the villagers to be on alert on Tuesday. Villagers have been asked to move towards a higher ground if they see a rise in the water level on the banks of Yamuna.

According to the officials, around 6 lakh cusecs of water was released from Hathni Kund Barrage last year, and around 1 lakh cusecs of water had reached GB Nagar and the district experienced no floods.

“This year, over 8.28 lakh cusecs of water has been released and out of it, over 3 lakh cusecs of water is expected to reach our jurisdiction. We have the capacity of handling a maximum of 3.50 lakh of cusecs water. But if the water exceeds beyond this, we could be in trouble. All the villagers living on the banks have been alerted,” MN Upadhayay, additional district magistrate (finance), said.

The administration has set up 12 flood posts in the district along with control rooms in Greater Noida and Noida. The district flood task force also held a meeting with all the concerned officials on Monday to prepare for any possible flood-like situation.

Residents living on the banks of Hindon river have been asked to be on alert as well. “If the water level is too high in Yamuna, the water can then flow into Hindon and cause damage. We had a meeting with the irrigation department which informed us that since the region received good rainfall this year time, less water will be absorbed by natural water resources like ponds and other low-lying areas before it reaches GB Nagar,” Upadhayay added.

Villages like Kambakshpur, Yakubpur, Momnathal and Safipur are on a high alert. These villages are more prone to flood as they are situated on the bank of Yamuna.

All the lekhpals, sarpanch, SDMs, officials from the irrigation department and local bodies are keeping an eye on the situation.

“Our officials are working round the clock to ensure safety of villagers. The water level is expected to rise higher on Tuesday evening. It takes around 72 hours for water to reach Yamuna in the district,” the ADM said.