NEW DELHI: The Yamuna continued to swell in the capital on Wednesday, crossing 207 metres at the Old Railway Bridge (ORB) at 1 pm, prompting fresh evacuations from low-lying neighbourhoods.
Earlier, at 8 am, the level at the ORB was 206.83 metres, already above the 206-metre evacuation mark that had been crossed on Tuesday. By 8 pm, on Wednesday, the level had risen further to 207.39 metres.
District administrations reported that more than 7,500 residents from the East, North, Southeast, Northeast, and Central districts had been moved to safety.
“Across five districts, more than 7,500 people have been evacuated. They have been shifted to relief camps at 25 locations, including tents, schools, etc.,” an official said. With water lapping at approach roads, the ORB remained closed to traffic throughout the day.
Officials attributed the steady rise to heavy discharges upstream. The Central Flood Control Room (CFCR) said the river received a discharge of 1.62 lakh cusecs from the Hathnikund Barrage and 1.38 lakh cusecs from the Wazirabad Barrage at 8 am.
“The rising water level is mostly due to the high volumes of water being released from the Wazirabad and Hathnikund barrages every hour. The forecast indicates a further increase in the water level,” a CFCR official said. The government added that it is monitoring flows round-the-clock from the Hathnikund, Wazirabad, and Okhla barrages.
During an inspection at the ITO barrage, Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Parvesh Verma urged calm, noting that recent desilting and channel-improvement work had expanded the river’s carrying capacity.
“In the past six months, steps have been taken by various departments to increase the river’s carrying capacity. Currently, the situation is under control, and even if the level rises by one or two metres more, water will not enter Delhi roads like it did in 2023,” he told reporters.
He added that “the Yamuna has not entered any authorised households,” and that rescue teams were operating in the floodplain. “Even if the level touches 209 metres, no authorised area will be flooded. We are expecting the water level to start reducing by evening,” he said.
The surge disrupted cremations at Nigambodh Ghat, the city’s oldest and busiest cremation ground, located along Ring Road behind the Red Fort.
With 42 platforms and an average daily load of 55–60 cremations, the facility halted new funerals on Wednesday afternoon after floodwaters entered the premises.
“Until about two hours ago, only rainwater had entered the premises. A wall approximately seven to eight feet high was damaged at the top, with about two feet collapsing, allowing Yamuna water to enter,” a management official at the ghat said. He noted that the ghat operated until 2:30 pm, after which no fresh cremations were taken up. Families arriving later were redirected to other cremation grounds.
The MCD said that rituals which had begun earlier in the morning were being completed.
Authorities appealed to residents in low-lying areas to heed evacuation advisories and make use of the facilities at the 25 relief sites. With inflows still elevated and the ORB closed, agencies said they would maintain heightened vigilance as the city awaited signs of the river receding.