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Water levels in Yamuna have been hovering around the danger mark of 205.33 meters for the past few days (File photo: PTI)
Revenue Minister Atishi said that the Delhi government is on high alert because more than 2 lakh cups of water have been discharged from the Hatnikund dam into the river and some parts of Yamuna Khadr may be flooded.
A spate of discharge from the Hatnikund Dam into the Yamuna River after heavy rains in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh saw the river breach the danger mark again in Delhi on Sunday, inundating low-lying areas. At 8 am on Sunday, the water level of the Yamuna River at the Old Yamuna Bridge was recorded at 205.9 metres. It is expected to reach a height of 206.7 meters by 4 p.m.
The danger mark on the Yamuna River is 205.33 metres.
Any further increase in the water level in Yamuna is likely to affect relief and rehabilitation work in the flood-affected low-lying areas of the national capital.
Revenue Minister Atishi said on Saturday that the Delhi government is on high alert due to the discharge of more than 2 lakhs of water from the Hatnikund Dam into the river and that some parts of the Yamuna Khadr (floodplain) may be flooded if the water level rises to 206.7 metres.
Water levels in Yamuna have been hovering around the danger mark of 205.33 meters in the past few days after reaching an all-time high of 208.66 meters on July 13.
Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department has predicted heavy to very heavy rains in parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand until July 25.
According to CWC data, the flow rate at Hathnikund Barrage located in Yamunanagar crossed the 1 lakh mark at 9 am on Saturday and fluctuated between 2 lakh and 2.5 lakh cusecs between 10 am and 5 pm. Since then, I have been left between 1.5 lakh cousick and 2 lakh cousick.
This large volume of water poses a risk of medium-scale flooding in the capital, which is still recovering from one of its worst flooding spells in the second week of July.
“A second wave of floods is likely to see the Yamuna recover most of the Delhi floodplain. Given the valuable insights gained from this month’s latest wave of floods, city planners and policy makers should consider the lessons learned. Citizens are counting on the authorities’ rapid response, and expect all ITO barrier gates to be open and fully operational. In addition, immediate attention should be given to repairing any breached sites and barriers,” said Bhim Singh Rawat, Assistant Coordinator of the South Asian Network of Dams Rivers and people.
There have been marginal fluctuations in the water level for the past four to five days amid rainfall in the upper catchment areas, particularly in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control Department officials said heavy rains upstream of Delhi would affect the rehabilitation of affected families in flooded low-lying areas of the capital and they might have to stay in relief camps for a longer period.
The water supply may be affected
It could also affect the city’s water supply, which only became normal on Tuesday after being affected for four or five days due to the flooding of a pump house in Wazirabad.
The pump house supplies raw water to the Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla treatment plants, which together account for about 25 percent of the city’s supply.
Parts of Delhi have been experiencing waterlogging and flooding for more than two weeks now.
Initially, heavy rains caused severe waterlogging on July 8 and 9, with the city receiving 125 percent of its monthly rain quota in just two days.
Then, heavy rains in the upper Yamuna catchment areas, including in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana, caused the river to swell to record levels.
(with PTI input)
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