Hathnikund Barrage releases water over last two days, Yamuna sees staggered rise

Bhim Singh Rawat, a member of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP) said the fluctuations were due to the rainfall received in the upper Yamuna catchment, upstream of the Hathnikund Barrage, in the last few days.

“The impact of these releases would be reflected in Delhi typically after 48 hours,” he added.

The rainfall comes against the backdrop of a largely subdued monsoon witnessed by much of Haryana. According to India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) data, Yamunanagar, where the barrage is located, has received 274.2 mm of rain against the usual 303.1 mm.

Panchkula, Ambala and Karnal have also recorded deficit rainfall, while Chandigarh has received above-normal rainfall, showing uneven rainfall across the upper Yamuna basin.

Between Hathnikund and Delhi, the first cluster of CWC monitoring stations comprises Western Yamuna Canal, Fatehgarh, Panchkuan, Ghodopipli and Kala Naur. Of these, Panchkuan and Ghodopipli are flowing above their warning levels.

Downstream, while Karnal, Mawi Palla and Delhi Railway Bridge continue to flow normally, the CWC has forecast a gradual rise in the water levels over the next two days.

The CWC has forecast the Yamuna at the Delhi Railway Bridge to rise gradually from 202.2 m on Wednesday to 202.4 m by July 31. This is well below the warning level of 204.5 m, the danger mark of 205.33 m and the highest flood level of 208.66 m recorded during the 2023 floods.

The current water discharges from Hathnikund are also much lower than those during the 2023 floods when exceptionally heavy rainfall across the upper Yamuna basin had resulted in unprecedented inflows into Delhi.

“After Hathnikund, there is a gap in data. We don’t have discharge data for the river downstream of the barrage, making it difficult to track how the flow changes before reaching Delhi,” Rawat said.

As per CWC data, Hindon river, meanwhile, has remained marginally above the warning level (195 m) but is still below the danger mark of 196 m, with the forecast indicating that water levels are likely to remain elevated over the next two days.

Earlier this month, a rising Hindon had inundated low-lying settlements in parts of Ghaziabad and Gautam Budhha Nagar, prompting the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation department to step up monitoring while maintaining that the river remained below the danger level.

Unlike the Yamuna, whose flows into Delhi are influenced by releases from the Hathnikund Barrage, the Hindon is a separate, primarily rain-fed tributary with its own catchment.

Originating in the lower Shivalik ranges in Saharanpur district of UP, it flows through western UP before joining the Yamuna downstream of Delhi near Greater Noida.