Delhi Flood: For what reason did the water level of Yamuna reach the record level so far? experts tell

New Delhi: As the Yamuna’s water level in Delhi crossed the all-time record of 207.49 meters set 45 years ago, experts attributed the situation to encroachment of flood plains, excessive rainfall in short duration and accumulation of silt, which has caused the river to swell. The floor got higher. , At 1 pm, the river rose to 207.55 metres, surpassing the previous record set in 1978, further inundating areas near flood plains.
Thousands of people have been shifted to safer areas as water entered houses and markets near the river.

In view of the grim situation, the Delhi Police imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC in flood-prone areas of the city to prevent unlawful assembly of four or more people and public movement in groups.

A senior Central Water Commission (CWC) official said, “We observed that the water released from Hathinikund barrage took less time to reach Delhi as compared to previous years. This could be mainly due to encroachment and siltation. There was more room for the flow. Now, it passes through a narrower cross-section.”

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It takes about two to three days for water to reach Delhi from the barrage at Yamunanagar in Haryana, about 180 km from the national capital.

Manu Bhatnagar, Principal Director, Natural Heritage Division at the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), identified excessive rainfall in a short period of time as the main reason for the Yamuna raging in Delhi.

“A prolonged fall of the same amount of water will not cause such a situation, as it gives the water time to pass through. Even small amounts of rainfall can result in high levels of runoff. Shorter periods of time Period,” he explained.

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) country representative Yashvir Bhatnagar attributed the record water level in the Yamuna to intense rainfall across the entire upper catchment area. They said,

“The impact of encroachment on flood plains may increase.”

Bhim Singh Rawat, Associate Coordinator of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers, People (SANDRP), said one of the major reasons for the unprecedented rise in the Yamuna’s water level is the raising of the river bed due to significant silt accumulation.

“More than 20 bridges within the 22-km-long river from Wazirabad to Okhla obstruct the flow, leading to siltation of the river bed and formation of many mid-stream sandbanks,” he told PTI. ”

The locations of these sandbars include below Signature Bridge, between ITO Barrage and Yamuna Bank, between ISBT Kashmere Gate and ORB (Old Railway Bridge), and between ORB and Geeta Colony Bridge.

Rawat said, in 1978, after being saturated during the monsoon season, the river reached a height of 207.49 meters in September and the flow rate from Tajewala barrage exceeded 7 lakh cusecs.

This time on Tuesday the maximum flow rate was 3.59 lakh cusecs.

Major floods occurred in Delhi in 1924, 1977, 1978, 1995, 2010 and 2013.

According to the research, analysis of flood data from 1963 to 2010 indicates an increasing trend of floods occurring in September and a decreasing trend in July.

An official of the Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control Department said the sharp rise in the water level was due to incessant rains in the upper catchment areas and saturated soil following heavy rains in Delhi and neighboring areas over the weekend.

The department said people living in low-lying areas have been shifted to safer places at higher altitudes.

It added that 45 boats have been deployed for awareness, evacuation and rescue operations and NGOs have been engaged to provide relief to the evacuated people.

“The old railway bridge has been closed for traffic. All gates of Okhla Barrage have been opened to release excess water and prevent prolonged high water level,” the department said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged the Center to intervene to ensure that the Yamuna’s level does not rise further.

In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he requested “if possible, release of water from Hathinikund Barrage in Haryana at a limited pace” and pointed out that Delhi is set to host the G-20 summit in a few weeks.

Kejriwal said, “The news of floods in the country’s capital will not send a good message to the world. Together we have to save the people of Delhi from this situation.”

Due to the overflow of Yamuna river, there was waterlogging in the Delhi Transport Corporation Headquarters area near ITO. Its employees waded through waterlogged entrances to enter the office on Wednesday.

Flood water has risen by more than four feet in northeast Delhi’s Gandhi Mendu and Usmanpur villages, local MLA Ajay Mahawar said, adding that residents have already been moved to safety.

According to the CWC, the flow rate at Hathinikund barrage rose to 3,59,760 cusecs at 11 am on Tuesday, the highest in the last three days. On Wednesday it was hovering between 1 lakh cusec to 3 lakh cusec.

Normally, the flow rate at the barrage is 352 cusecs, but heavy rainfall in the catchment areas increases the discharge. One cusec is equal to 28.32 liters per second.

The India Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rains in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh over the next two days, raising concerns of further rise in water levels in rivers.

Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana received “heavy to very heavy” rainfall for three days from Saturday. This resulted in overflowing rivers, creeks and streams, causing massive damage to infrastructure and disrupting essential services.

Delhi witnessed the highest rainfall (153 mm) in a single day in July since 1982 in a 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Sunday. The city received an additional 107 mm of rain in the next 24 hours, further worsening the situation. Heavy rains turned roads into raging streams, parks into water mazes and markets into waterlogged areas.

The catchment area of ​​the Yamuna river system includes parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.

The low-lying areas near the river in Delhi, where about 41,000 people live, are considered vulnerable to floods. Despite being the land of Delhi Development Authority, Revenue Department and private individuals, the floodplain of the river has been encroached over the years.

In September last year, the Yamuna had crossed the danger mark twice and the water level had reached 206.38 metres.

In 2019, the river witnessed a peak flow rate of 8.28 lakh cusecs on August 18-19 and the water level rose up to 206.6 metres. In 2013 it reached the level of 207.32 metres.