Delhi Rains: Flood Alert Sounded After Haryana Dumps 1 Lakh Cusecs Of Water Into Yamuna, Danger Mark May Be Breached In 2 Days

As per data available on the CWC's flood-monitoring portal, the water level in the Yamuna at the Old Railway Bridge stood at 203.18 metres at 1 pm on Sunday.

New Delhi: The Delhi Government on Sunday issued a flood alert after Haryana dumped over 1 lakh cusecs of water into the Yamuna River from the Hathnikund barrage.

The irrigation and flood control department said this was the first warning, with 1,05,453 cusecs of water discharged at 4 pm.

Normally, the flow rate at the barrage is 352 cusecs, but heavy rainfall in the catchment areas increases the discharge. The water from the barrage takes around two to three days to reach Delhi.

Authorities have been instructed to stay vigilant and take necessary action in vulnerable areas. Quick response teams have been deployed to raise awareness and warn the people living near the river embankments, according to the department.

The Delhi government has set up 16 control rooms, including a central control room, to monitor the flood-prone areas and the water level of the Yamuna.

Meanwhile, water level in the Yamuna River in Delhi is rapidly surging due to the incessant rains and is expected to breach the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Tuesday, according to the Central Water Commission (CWC).

As per data available on the CWC’s flood-monitoring portal, the water level in the Yamuna at the Old Railway Bridge stood at 203.18 metres at 1 pm on Sunday. The warning level is 204.5 metres.

The water level is likely to rise to 205.5 metres between 11 am and 1 pm on Tuesday, the CWC said in an advisory on Sunday, PTI reported.

VIDEO | Yamuna river in Delhi swells due to incessant rainfall in the national capital since morning. pic.twitter.com/jwoSApjEUD

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 8, 2023

Northwest India has seen incessant rainfall over the last two days, with many areas in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan recording “heavy to very heavy” precipitation.

Delhi witnessed its highest rainfall in a single day in July since 1982, recording 153 mm rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Sunday. Between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm, the city received an additional 105 mm rainfall, exacerbating the situation.

In response to the torrential rains, the Delhi government announced a closure of all schools on Monday and cancelled the Sunday leave of government officials, instructing them to be in the field.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Chandigarh and Ambala reported a record rainfall of 322.2 mm and 224.1 mm respectively.

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

The low-lying areas near the river in Delhi are considered vulnerable to flooding and are home to around 37,000 people.

Encroachments on the river floodplain have occurred over the years, despite the land belonging to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), revenue department and private individuals.

Last year, the river breached the danger mark twice in September.

Record-breaking rain brings Delhi to halt

Heavy rains continued to pound Delhi for the second consecutive day, causing several areas to become waterlogged and resulting in traffic snarls for commuters.

The Public Works Department (PWD) said it received 38 complaints related to waterlogging till Sunday afternoon. The majority of the complaints pertained to Okhla main road, Kamla Nagar, Nilothi, Ranhola, Kirari, etc.

“The PWD control room has been monitoring the situation of waterlogging through 24X7 CCTV camera surveillance. Apart from CCTV cameras, they also receive complaints from people through email, WhatsApp, social media and phone,” a PWD official said.

The Delhi Traffic Police has also been alerting commuters through its official Twitter handle about traffic congestion due to waterlogging in some of the areas of the national capital.

Meanwhile, CPRO Northern Railway Deepak Kumar said a strict watch is being kept to run trains from Delhi area safely because of non-stop heavy rains.

Eight pumps are being run at the Delhi-Sabzi Mandi area and the station trainable area to pump water out of tracks. Trains in Delhi are running at their normal scheduled time.

The MeT Office has issued a “yellow” alert, warning of moderate rain which could cause more problems for the residents of Delhi.

(With PTI inputs)