Delhi flood: Yamuna’s water level reached a terrifying height of 207 meters, close to 40-year record

New Delhi: The Yamuna river in Delhi has risen to 207.25 meters and is flowing close to its 1978 record level of 207.49 metres, government agencies said on Wednesday. According to the flood-monitoring portal of the Central Water Commission (CWC), the water level at the Old Railway Bridge crossed the 207-metre mark for the first time since 2013 at 4 am and rose to 207.25 meters by 8 am on Wednesday.

An official of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department said that it is expected that the river will rise to 207.35 meters by 12 noon on Wednesday and will continue to rise further. A rapid rise in the water level of Yamuna has been recorded in Delhi in the last three days. It rose from 203.14 meters at 11 am on Sunday to 205.4 meters at 5 pm on Monday, crossing the danger mark of 205.33 meters 18 hours earlier than expected.

The river had crossed the clearance mark of 206 meters on Monday night, prompting people living in flood-prone areas to be shifted to safer places and the old railway bridge closed for road and rail traffic. The CWC data shows that the water level of 207.25 meters is the highest since 2013 when the river reached a level of 207.32 metres.

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An official 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.

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It added that all concerned District Magistrates and their Sector Committees are alert and working in coordination with the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, Delhi Police, Delhi Jal Board, Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board and other stakeholders to deal with the flood situation. Have been

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said that a flood-like situation in Delhi is unlikely, but the city government is prepared to deal with any eventuality.

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. It remained above 2 lakh cusecs till Wednesday morning.

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. It takes about two to three days for the water from the barrage to reach Delhi.

Heavy rains occurred at many places in Uttarakhand and adjoining parts of Uttar Pradesh, raising concerns about further rise in water levels in rivers, the India Meteorological Department said.

The Delhi government issued a flood warning on Sunday and a second warning on Tuesday. Officials have been directed to remain vigilant and take necessary action in sensitive areas. Quick response teams and boats have also been deployed.

Sixteen control rooms have been set up to monitor flood prone areas and water level of Yamuna. Divers and medical teams have been deployed with all necessary material and equipment.

Northwest India received continuous rain for three days from Saturday, with “heavy to very heavy” rainfall recorded in many areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

As a result, rivers, creeks and streams are in spate, causing widespread damage to infrastructure and disruption of essential services in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab.

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. The water level of the river rose to an all-time record level of 207.49 meters in 1978.