Yamuna nears warning mark, level likely to rise further
As the situation escalates, the Delhi government had last month decided to formally approach the Haryana government once again seeking control of the ITO barrage, which plays a key role in managing Yamuna’s flow through the city.
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The river has been rising steadily since July 30, when the water level stood around 202 m. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)Once again hovering close to the warning mark, the water level in the Yamuna was recorded at 204.14 m on Wednesday evening, as per the Central Water Commission. While the warming threshold is 204.5 m, the danger level stands at 205.33 m. The highest flood level ever recorded in the Yamuna is 208.66 m at the Old Railway Bridge monitoring station during the floods in the Capital in 2023.
The river has been rising steadily since July 30, when the water level stood around 202 m. The water levels dipped slightly on Tuesday, and rose again on Wednesday. According to Google’s Flood Hub forecasting system, the water level is expected to rise another 10–50 cm by Thursday evening.
Delhi has seen above normal rain last month — 260 mm against a normal of 196 mm. It also saw rain on 23 out of 31 days of the month. This is much higher than the usual 10 days rainy days in the month.
However, this is not just the case with Delhi. Rainfall across northwest India has been well above normal this monsoon season. The India Meteorological Department said the region received 337.7 mm of rain between June 1 and July 30, about 20% higher than the long-term average of 280.8 mm.
Heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand over the past two days are also expected to contribute to a rise in the Yamuna levels in the coming two days.
To ward off any unforeseen situation, the Delhi government last month had decided to formally approach the Haryana government once again seeking control of the ITO barrage, which plays a key role in managing Yamuna’s flow through the city.
“The Delhi government will formally request the Haryana government to hand over the control of the ITO barrage to bolster the city’s flood management,” underlined an official statement. Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh had approved the proposal.
The move follows the flooding crisis in 2023 , when jammed gates at the ITO barrage which has been under Haryana’s jurisdiction were blamed for worsening the situation. Over 25,000 people were displaced and water treatment plants were shut down. Even as the gates have since been repaired, officials said full operational control is essential for swift action in an emergency.
The ITO barrage remains a politically sensitive site. While Delhi controls the Wazirabad barrage and Uttar Pradesh manages Okhla barrage, the ITO barrage is with Haryana which has been a source of friction in recent years between the two states.
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