WATER LEVEL IN YAMUNA MAY CROSS DANGER MARK

Caused due to water being released from Hathnikund barrage

NEW DELHI: Water level in the Yamuna river crossed the warning level of 204 metre on Friday 7 pm, with an official of the Delhi Flood Control Department stating the it is expected to cross the danger mark of 204.83 metre by 10 am Saturday.

As a result, the Capital has been placed on high alert as low-lying residential areas close to the Yamuna brace themselves for flooding.

Water levels near the Capital have reached a critical point after authorities in Haryana discharged 1.36 lakh cusec of water from the Hathnikund barrage situated in the state’s Yamuna Nagar district on Thursday evening.

“It means that thousands of people living in the riverbeds (mostly farmers) need to be evacuated,” said the Flood Control Department official.

Residential areas including Mayur Vihar phase-1, Geeta Colony, Joga Bai Extension (Okhla), Zakir Nagar, Sonia Vihar, Usmanpur, Garhi Mandu, Badarpur, Khadar, ISBT Bridge and Shakarpur will be the worst affected.

“On Thursday, 1.36 lakh cusecs of water was released from the Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana and another 83,241 cusecs were released on Friday. The water level at the barrage had increased alarmingly due to heavy rainfall in the catchment areas,” the official added.

The water from the barrage – which is used for drinking purposes in Delhi –- normally takes 72 hours to reach the national Capital, he said.

The Central Water Commission has issued an advisory on the water level, saying, “The Yamuna’s level at the Delhi railway bridge is expected to reach 204.5 m between 9 pm and 11 pm on Saturday.”

The forecast will change, depending on the release of water from Wazirabad and Okhla barrages, it added.

The superintendent engineer at the Hathnikund barrage said, “Water reaches Hathinikund barrage via Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Due to incessant rain in the area, the water level of the barrage has increased and we have no option other than to discharge excessive water into Yamuna to control the situation”.

“It is a regular exercise during monsoon every year. If the weather continues to remain same, it will be repeated in future as well,” he added.