Delhi: Yamuna river flowing above danger mark; evacuation begins in nearby areas
According to East Delhi District Magistrate Anil Banka, an evacuation order was issued on Tuesday morning after the water level reached 206 metres. "Residents in low-lying areas near riverbanks are being evacuated and relocated to higher ground. They have found shelter in nearby government schools and night shelters," the official stated.
FollowAuthorities began evacuating people living in low-lying areas near the Yamuna banks in Delhi on Tuesday, as the river's water level rose to 206.18 metres, well above the danger mark of 205.33 metres and the highest this year so far, due to incessant rains in the upper catchment areas.
According to East Delhi District Magistrate Anil Banka, an evacuation order was issued on Tuesday morning after the water level reached 206 metres.
"Residents in low-lying areas near riverbanks are being evacuated and relocated to higher ground. Accommodations have been made for them in nearby government schools and night shelters," the official stated.
Banka said that announcements are being made to warn people about further rising water levels. In Delhi, low-lying areas near the river are considered vulnerable to flooding. They are home to approximately 37,000 people.
The authorities are evacuating people living in river floodplains for the second time in two months due to flooding.
The Yamuna had breached the danger mark of 205.33 metres on August 12, prompting the evacuation of approximately 7,000 people from low-lying areas near the riverbanks.
The water level had risen to 205.99 metres on August 13 before the river began to recede.
The water level at the Old Delhi Railway Bridge crossed the 206-metre evacuation level at 5:45 am on Tuesday, according to the Delhi flood control room. By 9 am, the river had risen to 206.18 metres. The water level was expected to rise to 206.5 metres between 3 and 5 pm.
At 7 am, the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana reported a discharge rate of approximately 96,000 cusecs. At 6 am on Monday, the discharge rate was 2,95,212 cusecs, the highest this year. One cusec equals 28.32 litres per second.
The flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage is normally 352 cusecs, but it increases after heavy rainfall in the catchment areas.
Water released from the barrage typically takes two to three days to reach the national capital.
Over the last few days, heavy rains have pounded parts of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and north Uttar Pradesh. On September 21, Delhi experienced a four-day rainstorm.
The Yamuna river system's catchment area includes parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi.
Last year, on July 30, the Yamuna River crossed the danger mark, and the water level at the Old Railway Bridge reached 205.59 metres.
In 2019, the flow rate peaked at 8.28 lakh cusec on August 18-19, and the river level reached 206.60-metres.
The river reached an all-time high water level of 207.49 metres in 1978. It had risen to 207.32 metres in 2013.
(With inputs from PTI)
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