Delhi will not see flood-like situation, says CM after Yamuna crosses danger mark
The Irrigation and Flood Control department has been instructed to ensure that the Yamuna water does not reach the main roads and traffic movement is not affected, said officials.
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The river has remained above the warning level for the past three days. (Express Photo/Praveen Khanna)As the water level of the Yamuna river crossed the danger mark on Monday, reaching 205.55 m at 6 pm at the Old Railway Bridge, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta took stock of the flood preparedness and underlined that the situation remains under control. There will not be a flood-like situation in the Capital, she said on Monday evening.
She emphasised that, anticipating any minor problems to floodplain areas, residents have been alerted by the administration and necessary arrangements have been made to shift them to safer places.
“The people of Delhi have no need to worry…their safety is the government’s topmost priority. For relief and rescue operations, 14 boats have been deployed at key locations,” she was quoted as saying in a statement by her office.
The river has remained above the warning level for the past three days.
As per the Central Water Commission (CWC), the water level is projected to rise further. A central flood control room has been set up at the office of District Magistrate East, where round-the-clock monitoring is being done, the CM said.
The Irrigation and Flood Control department has been instructed to ensure that the Yamuna water does not reach the main roads and traffic movement is not affected, said officials.
The increasing levels have been attributed to the continued inflow of water from upstream barrages in Haryana, as per officials. Water released from the Hathnikund barrage in the state typically takes 48 to 50 hours to reach Delhi.
At 7 am on Monday, the water level was recorded at 204.80 m, rising to 205.15 m by noon. During this period as per officials, the barrage was releasing between 49,000 and 58,000 cusecs of water at different times, while discharge from the Wazirabad barrage rose from around 36,170 cusecs at 7 am to nearly 39,470 cusecs at 10 am, Monday. The outflow at Okhla barrage remained at 68,000 cusecs.
According to the statement by the Chief Minister’s office, nodal officers have been appointed in key waterlogging-prone areas. Cleaning drains has been accelerated by departments, including the Public Works Department, Irrigation and Flood Control Department, and Municipal Corporation of Delhi. The inspection of pump houses has been completed and mobile pumps have been deployed, it said.
Evacuation orders are issued once the water level touches 206 m.
As part of precautions, the district administrations have been asking residents to move to safer ground since last week.
As per officials, the relief and rescue operations equipment has been fully checked and readied for safe relocation of people in case of a flood situation.
Last week, officials had cautioned that even moderate upstream discharge could push water levels higher over the next two days.
In July 2023, the river had surged to an unprecedented 208.66 metres, marking the highest flood level ever recorded in Delhi. However, last year, the water level of Yamuna had remained below the warning levels.
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