NEW DELHI: The Yamuna crossed the warning mark of 204.5 metres in Delhi again on Wednesday with Haryana releasing more water from the Hathnikund barrage amid rains in the upper catchment areas, officials said.
The river breached the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Friday following heavy rains in the upper catchment areas, prompting authorities to evacuate around 7,000 people from low-lying areas. The water level receded below the warning mark on Monday and stood at 203.96 metres on Tuesday.
However, the water level rose again and crossed the warning mark around midnight. It stood at 204.89 metres on Wednesday, the Delhi government’s flood control room said.
A forecast issued by the Central Water Commission said the river is likely to rise to 205.25 metres by 9 pm and remain stable thereafter. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said widespread rainfall “with isolated heavy falls” is very likely over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand over the next two-three days. The catchment of the Yamuna river system covers parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.
Last week, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to people to avoid going toward the banks of the river. A flood alert is declared in Delhi when the discharge rate from the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana’s Yamuna Nagar crosses the one lakh-cusecs mark and people living near the floodplains and in flood-prone areas are evacuated.
The Yamuna floodplains and low-lying areas in Delhi near the river are considered vulnerable to flooding.
The overflowing Yamuna affected low-lying areas near the river in the northeast, east and southeast Delhi last week and around 7,000 people were shifted to higher ground. The Delhi flood control room reported a discharge rate of around 14,000 cusecs from the Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana’s Yamuna Nagar at 6 am on Wednesday.