The water level at the Old Railway Bridge was recorded at 205.6 metres on Wednesday morning, breaching the ‘danger’ mark once again, less than 12 hours after it dropped below the threshold, amid rains in the national capital and the upper reaches of the river.
The Central Water Commission's data showed the water level reached 205.48 metres at 8 am and 205.60 metres an hour later. It is expected to rise to 205.72 metres. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted intermittent rain in the city over the next four to five days.
The flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage saw a marginal rise on Tuesday afternoon, oscillating between 50,000 and 60,000 cusecs. It dropped to around 39,000 cusecs by 7 am on Wednesday. One cusec is equivalent to 28.32 litres per second.
Though the water has receded from prominent areas across the city, low-laying areas are still submerged. Due to floods in the Yamuna, several areas, including Rajghat-Shantivan, ITO, and Ring Road have been affected by waterlogging. To address this, various agencies of the central government, Delhi government and MCD are working together on a war footing. Waterlogging near ITO Flyover has almost been resolved, and the road has been opened for traffic.
The work to remove the mud caused by the floods is also progressing rapidly. Agencies are cleaning the roads through pressure pipes to ensure no inconvenience is caused to the commuters.
The Delhi government said that there is a problem of waterlogging in Rajghat and other nearby monuments after the floods. The 250-acre premises of Rajghat has been severely impacted, and immediate efforts are being made to drain out the stagnant water on priority. Rajghat is a place of national importance and attracts visitors from all over the world. Therefore, all agencies are working together to drain out the water as soon as possible. The water level in the river had dropped below the danger mark of 205.33 metres by 8 pm on Tuesday, after flowing above the threshold for eight days.
It receded to 205.22 metres at 5 am on Wednesday before it started rising again. The increase in the water level could slow down the rehabilitation of affected families in the inundated low-lying areas of the capital and they may have to stay longer in relief camps.
Experts attribute the unprecedented flooding in Delhi to encroachment on floodplains, extreme rainfall occurring within shorter durations, and silt accumulation that raised the riverbed.
A study on "Urban Flooding and its Management" by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department identifies east Delhi under the floodplain region and highly vulnerable to floods. Despite this, encroachment and development have occurred at a rapid pace in the ecologically sensitive region over the years.
Letters exchanged between the Delhi Forest Department and the primary land-owning agency in the city, Delhi Development Authority, show that 2,480 hectares of land in the Yamuna floodplains have been encroached upon or developed since 2009. The IMD data shows the national capital has recorded 331.3 mm of rainfall against a normal of 208.8 mm in July so far. On average, the city receives 195.8 mm of rainfall in entire month.
Delhi recorded above-normal rainfall in last four months -- 53.2 mm against a normal of 17.4 mm in March, 20.1 mm against an average of 16.3 mm in April, 111 mm against a normal of 30.7 mm in May and 101.7 mm against a normal of 74.1 mm in June.
It witnessed its highest rainfall (153 mm) in a single day in July since 1982 on July 8 and 9 due to an interaction of a western disturbance, monsoon winds and cyclonic circulation over northwest India. The city received an additional 107 mm of rain in the subsequent 24 hours.