NEW DELHI: Large volumes of water released upstream have set the Yamuna on an upward course in Delhi, triggering precautionary measures as authorities brace for a possible flood-like situation.
At 1 pm on Friday, the river touched 204.65 metres at the Old Railway Bridge (ORB), an official gauge site, breaching the city’s warning threshold of 204.50 metres, officials said.
The warning mark for the city is 204.50 metres, a thresholdFriday’s 1 pm reading crossed comfortably.
“The reason for the increase in level is mostly due to the high volumes of water released from the Wazirabad and Hathnikund barrage every hour,” an official from the central flood room said.
The Hathnikund barrage is releasing around 47,024 cusecs of water, and Wazirabad is releasing 35,130 cusecs of water every hour, the official added. On Thursday, the hourly discharge crossed a seasonal peak of 65,761 cusecs at 3 pm, the highest so far this year. Last week, on August 8, the water level had reached 205.15 meters after discharge from the Hathnikund barrage reached a peak of 561,729 cusecs. Agencies are on alert to monitor vulnerable stretches.