The Delhi administration sounded a flood alert and expedited efforts to evacuate people living in the Yamuna floodplains, as the river in the Capital breached the danger mark on Friday. The officials said that the step was taken after the water level was recorded at 205.34 metres at the Old Railway Bridge at 11 AM.
An official from the irrigation and flood control department said that the water level was 205.22 metres at 8:30 AM, 205.10 metres at 6 AM and 205.17 at 7 AM and it is likely to rise further.
“All the departments concerned have been alerted. The irrigation and flood control department has deployed 13 boats in different areas and put 21 others on standby,” he said.
With Haryana discharging more water into the river from the Hathnikund Barrage, the Delhi Police and the East Delhi district administration have started evacuating people living on the floodplains of the Yamuna in the Capital.
“These people are being shifted to shelter homes of the city Government in the Yamuna Pushta area. A flood alert is declared when the Yamuna crosses the warning mark of 204.50 metres. The situation is being monitored round-the-clock,” said an official.
The river is in spate because of rains in Delhi and the upper catchment areas, a MeT department official said, adding it may swell further as more rains are predicted in northwest India.
The weather department has also issued an “orange alert” for moderate rains in Delhi-NCR for the third day on the trot on Friday.
According to the Delhi flood control room, the discharge rate at the Hathnikund Barrage peaked to 1.60 lakh cusecs on Tuesday afternoon, the highest this year so far.
The water discharged from the barrage normally takes two-three days to reach the Capital.
Haryana had been releasing water from the Yumananagr- barrage at the rate of 19,056 cusecs at 8 AM. The flow rate was 25,839 cusecs at 8 PM on Thursday.
Normally, the flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage is 352 cusec, but the discharge is increased after heavy rainfall in catchment areas. One cusec is equivalent to 28.32 litres per second.
In 2019, the flow rate had peaked to 8.28 lakh cusec on August 18-19, and the water level of the Yamuna had hit the 206.60 metre-mark, breaching the danger mark of 205.33 metres.
