Yamuna water level crosses ‘danger’ mark in Delhi

At 8pm on the day, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge (ORB) was 205.35m, with a rising trend predicted

New Delhi

Authorities said they will start evacuations when water level hits 206 metres. (Arvind Yadav/HT Photo)

Heavy rains and flooding in the upper reaches of the Yamuna led to a sharp rise in its water level in Delhi on Wednesday, breaching the “danger” level of 205.33 metres for only the second time this season. At 8pm on the day, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge (ORB) was 205.35m, with a rising trend predicted.

On August 19, the Yamuna level touched a season-high level of 205.95 metres at 4am, before receding below the warning level by the next day. The Irrigation and Flood Control Department (I&FC) department said it was closely monitoring the situation, with evacuation likely to be carried out when the water level touches 206m.

“We are seeing a rising trend, which is expected to continue beyond midnight. Announcements are being made using loudspeakers on foot and even using boats,” an official at the flood control room said, adding that 30 of 40 department boats have been deployed.

Bhim Singh Rawat, associate coordinator at the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), said that peak hourly discharges at Haryana’s Hathnikund barrage were oscillating between 40,000 and 70,000 cusecs since Tuesday afternoon, leading to a rise in the water levels here. “With more rain upstream, there has been increased flow into the Hathnikund barrage. This could continue into Thursday,” he said.

On August 17, the peak hourly discharge crossed 100,000 cusecs for the first time this year, touching a peak of 178,996 cusecs at 4pm, which is the highest this season. At 7pm, the hourly discharge stood at 127,030 cusecs.

In 2023, the Yamuna swelled to its highest-ever water level of 208.66m on July 11 following a record discharge of 359,760 cusecs from Hathnikund. On the other hand, last year’s peak was 204.38m on September 26 — below the “warning” level. The peak discharge last year was 87,018 cusecs, according to I&FC data.

Parts of the city logged light rain on Wednesday. Safdarjung, the city’s base station for weather, logged 13.4mm of rainfall between 8.30am and 5.30pm. Delhi’s maximum was 30.6°C on Wednesday, which was four degrees below normal. The minimum was 24.5°C, two degrees below normal. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light rain to continue in the city till Sunday.