Monsoon fury: Yamuna continues to swell, Delhi and Haryana on alert
According to a Delhi government official, the river breached the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Monday and was flowing at 206.40 metres at 9 pm on Tuesday.
In Short
- Yamuna is flowing above the danger mark in Delhi
- At 9 pm on Tuesday the river was flowing at 206.40 metres
- People living in low-lying areas in Delhi and Haryana are at risk
Delhi and Haryana remained on alert on Tuesday as the Yamuna River continued to swell due to additional water released from an upstream barrage.
On Tuesday, the Yamuna was flowing almost a metre above the danger mark and it is expected swell even further as Haryana released more water from Hanthinikund barrage on Tuesday afternoon.
According to a Delhi government official, the river breached the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Monday and was flowing at 206.40 metres at 9 pm on Tuesday.
Upper Yamuna Division, Central Water Commission: Water level at Delhi Railway Bridge (Old Loha Pul) site is expected to reach the peak value of 207.08 meter between 1 to 5 pm tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/Zfg5WBMwYi ANI (@ANI) August 20, 2019
He said Haryana released 25,590 cusecs and 21,006 cusecs of water from the Hathinikund Barrage at 5 pm and 9 pm respectively. The water level in the Yamuna is likely to reach 207.08 metres between 2 pm and 4 pm on Wednesday.
Senior scientist at Indian Meteorological Department Kuldeep Srivastava said rains are likely to subside in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh over the next four to five days, leading to an improvement in the situation in Delhi and Haryana.
"The situation is likely to persist for another two days. If there's no further discharge from the Hathinikund barrage, the water level in the Yamuna will drop," he said.
Situation under control, says Delhi CM
However, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the current situation is under control.
The Northern Railway has suspended the movement of trains between Old Delhi and Delhi Shahdara stations. Now, trains will be diverted via New Delhi railway station, a spokesperson said.
In view of the rising level of water, authorities in Delhi have already shut the Old Iron Yamuna Bride for vehicular traffic.
The river flows through six districts of Delhi whose low-lying areas are prone to flooding. The administration has deployed 30 boats to prevent accidental drowning.
The Delhi government has also set up tents opposite Mayur Vihar Extension to accommodate around 23,000 displaced people during flooding.
Delhi Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot inspected the relief camps set up by Delhi Government at Haathi Ghat and Kanchan Colony.
"Inspected relief camps at Haathi Ghat and Kanchan Colony set up by Delhi government. Interacted with people who have been evacuated and now staying in relief camps. Have directed DMs to ensure availability of all the relief materials," he tweeted.
A government official said of the 15,000 people moved out of the Yamuna floodplains, 10,500 have been putting up in 2,300 tents and no untoward incident has taken place.
Haryana CM puts on district authorities on alert
The situation in the neighbouring Haryana is similar. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday directed all the deputy commissioners of the affected districts in the state to make necessary arrangements to deal with any adverse situation caused by the rising water level in the Yamuna.
In view of the prevailing flood situation, 25 families have been safely evacuated from Sonipat and Karnal districts. All arrangements have been made by the state government to deal with any adverse situation, Haryana Chief Secretary Keshni Anand Arora said on Tuesday.
The chief secretary said that Yamuna water would reach Delhi by Tuesday evening. Arora said that after Delhi, this water would reach Faridabad and Palwal districts of Haryana.
Therefore, about 500 families have already been evacuated from low-lying areas along with these two Haryana districts.
She said Markanda, Tangri and Ghaggar rivers has also recorded a slight increase in water level, but now the water level has started to recede.
Flooding in river #Yamuna and #Satluj@IndiaToday's Data Intelligence Unit (#DIU) puts out the figures. pic.twitter.com/xN44efF9c2 Geeta Mohan (@Geeta_Mohan) August 20, 2019
Cabinet Secretary reviews flood-preparedness in North India
Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting of top officials and reviewed the prevailing flood situation in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Delhi. Sinha directed the officials that immediate assistance, as sought by the states, be provided to meet the crisis.
As of now, 28 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are deployed in these states and resources from the Army and the Air Force, have been pressed into service, the statement said, adding that additional teams are also on standby for any exigency.
Sinha also directed the officials to make available necessary financial assistance from the State Disaster Response Fund to the affected states, it added.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated that while there has been very heavy rainfall in these states over the past few days, the intensity is likely to decline in the coming days.
Rains in the northern states have claimed at least 38 lives and triggered landslides, leaving hundreds of people in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh stranded and several areas in Punjab and Haryana flooded.
(With inputs from PTI)