Yamuna level at all-time high, Arvind Kejriwal flags flood fears to Amit Shah

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, July 12, 2023: The Yamuna in Delhi swelled to 207.55 metres on Wednesday, breaching its all-time record of 207.49 metres set in 1978, triggering fear of flood in the capital. The river is likely to rise further, an official said. As a precautionary measure, the Delhi Police imposed Section 144 CrPC in flood-prone areas of the national capital.

 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah saying the city could be flooded anytime. The Delhi CM told Shah that the water level could reach 207.72 meters by Wednesday night. It shot up from 203.14 metres at 11 am on Sunday to 205.4 at 5 pm on Monday, breaching the danger mark of 205.33 metres, 18 hours earlier than expected.

He said the reason behind the water level rising in Yamuna is because a high volume of water is being released from Haryana’s Hathnikund barrage. The Delhi CM urged Amit Shah to ensure that water from the barrage is released at a limited level.

Kejriwal also called an emergency meeting today after the Yamuna reached its highest level.

The meeting will be held at the Delhi Secretariat where senior officers of all departments concerned will be present, said a Delhi government official.

WATER ENTERS CITY

The water from the swollen river has now started spilling into the city, spelling trouble for the residents. Water entered the Monastery market near Kashmere Gate and Ring Road, prompting people to shift to safer locations.

The water of swollen Yamuna river entered Ring Road and sandbags were put by the authorities to prevent the water from flowing further. Heavy machinery has been deployed to evacuate people.

’DELHI GOVT FULLY PREPARED’

Delhi water minister Saurabh Bharadwaj told the media that the city government was prepared to deal with the situation. "We are monitoring the situation and all possible steps are being taken," he said.

"The Delhi government is fully prepared to tackle any situation. We are regularly conducting evacuations near the Yamuna River. Several embankments have been installed to prevent the breach of water. We are monitoring the situation continuously," Atishi, Delhi Minister told ANI.

Thousands of people have been evacuated and shifted to safer places due to the rising level of the Yamuna river in the national capital.

According to the Central Water Commission’s (CWC) flood-monitoring portal, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge crossed the 207-metre mark at 4 am, the first time since 2013, and rose to 207.25 metres by 8 am on Wednesday.

The ITO Chhat Ghat is submerged due to the rise in water level in the Yamuna river. The benches meant for sitting and polls were also submerged. As of 8 am, the water level in Yamuna had reached 207.25 metres.

"The water level of the Yamuna River is increasing due to rain. All the police stations along the banks of the river have been instructed to increase vigilance in the area. Coordination is also being established with other agencies so that if there is waterlogging, people can be evacuated immediately," a senior police official was quoted by news agency ANI as saying.

"The Yamuna water level at the Old Railway Bridge rose to 206.76 metres by 8 pm, which is the highest since 2013 when the river reached a level of 207.32 metres," a senior official told PTI.

He explained that the sharp rise in water level was due to continuous rainfall in the upper catchment areas and saturated soil from heavy precipitation in Delhi and nearby regions over the weekend.

The Yamuna breached the danger mark twice in September last year, with the water level reaching 206.38 metres.

The river had exceeded the evacuation mark of 206 metres on Monday night, prompting the relocation of people residing in flood-prone areas to safer locations.

People living in low-lying areas have been shifted to safer places at higher altitudes, the department said on Tuesday evening.

It said 45 boats have been deployed for awareness, evacuation and rescue work and NGOs have been roped in to provide relief to the evacuated people.

"The Old Railway Bridge has been closed for traffic. All gates of the Okhla Barrage have been opened to release excess water and prevent prolonged high water levels," the department said.

The Delhi government issued a flood warning on Sunday and a second warning on Tuesday. Authorities have been instructed to stay vigilant and take necessary action in vulnerable areas.

Meanwhile, the weather office has forecast a cloudy sky and light rain on Wednesday for the national capital. The water level in Yamuna is likely to swell further if more rains lash the national capital, posing a bigger challenge for the officials.

As many as five people have died and five others have been injured in separate rain-related incidents such as building and wall collapse as rains wreaked havoc in capital for the past few days.

On Saturday, a woman died in Karol Bagh when a wall collapsed and on Sunday, an auto driver died in Prashant Vihar when a tree fell on him. A 50-year-old man died in Sundar Nagar when a wall collapsed and a labourer died in Mukundpur when a balcony of a house collapsed.

On Sunday, a woman died in Tis Hazari when a wall of a hospital collapsed.

The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to settle around 34 and 26 degrees Celsius. Delhi received torrential rains on Saturday and Sunday and recorded 107 mm of precipitation between 8.30 am on Sunday and 8.30 am on Monday.

Due to heavy rains in the national capital, roads caved in at many places and water also entered the residential complexes. Commuters had to navigate through waterlogged roads and battle traffic jams on Monday morning.

Courtesy: India Today