Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj asserted on Tuesday that there will be no flooding in the Yamuna this year as the river will get a clear channel for its flow.
Bharadwaj inspected the Yamuna Barrage near ITO during the day. According to an official statement, the minister was apprised of the measures being taken to manage potential flood scenarios.
Last year, the barrage caused significant flooding in the Yamuna, leading to water logging and severe inconvenience for residents living nearby.
Bharadwaj said the amount of rainfall received last year and the volume of water released into the Yamuna from Haryana were unprecedented in decades and that resulted in the flood situation.
"Although this barrage falls under the jurisdiction of the Haryana government and its operation is their responsibility, this time, the Delhi irrigation and flood control department has coordinated with the Haryana government to prepare for potential issues," he said.
"The department has made preparations so that even if the same amount of water as last year flows into the Yamuna, there will be no flooding in Delhi and the Yamuna's water will not reach the roads," Bharadwaj added.
The minister said work has been ongoing for the past three months and a significant amount of silt around all the barrages has already been removed.
All barrages have been opened, he said, adding that some could not be opened and had to be cut and removed to ensure that there is no obstruction in the water flow.
To prevent water accumulation in the Yamuna and avoid a flood situation, a new experiment has been conducted by the Delhi irrigation and flood control department, Bharadwaj said.
"This experiment is called 'Pilot Cut'. Under this experiment, small channels are dug from the accumulated soil in front of the barrage extending far beyond. During this process, small islands of soil are formed between the artificial channels created in the Yamuna.
"When rainwater will be released from Haryana, it will flow swiftly through these artificial channels, carrying with it the small soil islands, thereby eliminating any possibility of water stagnation and allowing the water to flow swiftly ahead," he said.
This procedure ensures that there will be no likelihood of water accumulating in the Yamuna, terminating all potential flood scenarios due to unhindered water flow, the Aam Aadmi Party leader said.During the last flood in the Yamuna, there were incidents of regulators breaking at some places, he said. "This time, to prevent such situations, all regulators have been repaired. Broken regulators have been replaced... All regulators have been tested," the minister said.
Water accumulation in urban areas has various causes which fall under the responsibility of different departments such as the DDA, PWD and the MCD, he said.
Delhi battled one of its worst flood-like situations in several pockets last year because of heavy rain, with more than 25,000 people evacuated from inundated areas.
