Yamuna water enters 27 villages in Faridabad

Bracing for a potential repeat of the 2023 floods, the administration had on Monday issued a warning to 14 “high-risk” villages. This was due to heavy rainfall forecasts and the release of 2.38 lakh cusecs of water into the Yamuna from Hathnikund Barrage, which was expected to reach Faridabad by early Wednesday.

Officials on Thursday said Yamuna water has so far reached 27 villages in Faridabad.

In the last 24 hours, the district has recorded 89 mm of rainfall, with Mohna receiving 17 mm, followed by Faridabad and Dayalpur (14 mm each), Ballabhgarh (13 mm), Badkhal and Tigaon (10 mm each), Gaunchhi (7 mm), and Dhoj (4 mm).

Officials said that while waterlogging has damaged 260 houses, 603 people have been evacuated to 12 relief camps by Thursday. Crops have also suffered damage and affected farmers can apply for compensation on the state government’s portal, https://ekshatipurti.haryana.gov.in/, open until September 15, they added.

Water entered Kanwara on Thursday, prompting the relocation of residents from the outskirts of the village. While in Manjhawali, the SDRF deployed boats to rescue stranded people, a rising Yamuna eroded village pathways in Dulhapur. Relief operations, meanwhile, continued in Basantpur, officials said.

Deputy Commissioner Vikram Singh on Thursday visited the waterlogged areas, including Mohna, to assess the situation. “The water level is expected to rise until late tonight and start to recede from tomorrow… This time it is not as high as it was in 2023 but we are prepared. People are advised not to venture anywhere near the Yamuna,” he told mediapersons.