The Yamuna’s water level in Delhi is presently at an all-time peak amid the monsoon rage across north India. The increasing water mark has caused to flooding in some riverbank locations. The river is presently running at 207.55 metres after it crossed the record level of 207.49 that it had touched 45 years earlier.
The swollen river has submerged homes and marketplaces, causing enormous difficulties to residents. Many of the families living near the river have now gone to the terrace with their things, hopelessly watching at the rising water level.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held an emergency meeting and asked the center to assure that no more water was released by Haryana’s Hatnikund barrage.
In a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah, he demanded that a “limited quantity of water should be released by Haryana from Hathnikund barrage so that the level of Yamuna doesn’t rise any further”. Citing the approaching G20 conference in the Delhi NCR, Mr. Kejriwal said, “If a flood happens in Delhi, it won’t send a good message to the world”.
Delhi Police has put limits on gatherings of the public in areas at risk of flooding as a preventative measure.
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Current Water Levels of Yamuna River in Delhi:
At 11 am, the river was flowing at 207.38 at Old Railway Bridge. This was greater than the water level of 207.32 in 2013, which caused floods in the nation’s capital. In 1978, the Yamuna had flowed at 207.49 metres, a record that was broken today.
Officials from Central Water Commission are anticipating that the water level could go up further, reaching 207.57 metres at the end of the day. The steady ascent will generate an emergency flood alarm in Old Delhi.
Delhi observed a sharp rise in the Yamuna level over the past three days. The administration has moved residents living in the flood-prone zones and blocked the Old Railway Bridge for traffic and train movement.
The rapid increase in water level was due to continuous rainfall in upper catchment areas and saturated soil from heavy precipitation in Delhi and nearby regions. Water released from a barrage in Haryana has led to the spike in Yamuna levels.
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