NEW DELHI: The Yamuna in Delhi surged past the 206-metre mark on Tuesday, reviving fears of a repeat of the 2023 floods and prompting the government to swing into emergency mode. Officials warned that the water level could rise further by Wednesday, heightening the risk for thousands of families living along the riverbanks.
According to the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, the river stood at 206.03 metres at Old Railway Bridge at 4 pm, and rose steadily to 206.30 metres by 8 pm. The danger level for the Yamuna in Delhi is 205.33 metres, while the evacuation mark is 206 metres. Officials said the river is expected to reach 206.90 metres by Wednesday.
The rise followed heavy discharges from the Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana, which recorded a peak of 2.92 lakh cusecs per second. Substantial flows were also released from the Wazirabad (83,300 cusecs) and Okhla (1,02,444 cusecs) barrages, aggravating the flood threat in low-lying areas. Many localities along the floodplain began reporting water ingress by Tuesday.
Irrigation and Flood Control Minister, Parvesh Verma, said the administration had moved into “war-footing” preparedness, with officials working round the clock. “The people of Delhi can rest assured we are fully prepared to meet any flood situation,” he said.
A review meeting with senior officials and district magistrates was held to oversee response measures and safeguard vulnerable areas, particularly the Najafgarh basin.
The Delhi Jal Board has been roped in to assist with flood management. Constant monitoring of the barrages at Hathnikund, Wazirabad, and Okhla will continue round-the-clock to anticipate any sudden surge.
IMD predicts more rains
The IMD has predicted active monsoon conditions to prevail over Delhi for the next five days.
Safdarjung, the city’s base observatory, registered 53.8 mm of rainfall between Monday night and Tuesday evening, including 37.8 mm till 8:30 am. Palam recorded 66.3 mm and Aya Nagar 100.6 mm during this period. Ghaziabad saw the heaviest spell of rain at 127.5 mm until Tuesday evening.
Several arterial roads in the capital were waterlogged, causing traffic to slow. A large tree toppled at the Ferozeshah Road–Janpath roundabout in the morning, triggering a major gridlock in Lutyens’ Delhi.
From Wednesday, light to moderate rain may continue intermittently, though the intensity may reduce.