Yamuna river’s water level declines but remains above danger mark

The water level of the Yamuna river in Delhi showed a declining trend on Tuesday, although it remained above the danger level of 205.33 meters.

As reported by the Central Water Commission, at 12 noon, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge (ORB) was measured at 205.4 meters.

The water level at the Old Railway Bridge has been consistently close to the danger mark since reaching a record high of 208.66 meters on July 13. On Sunday, it crossed the danger mark again due to increased water discharge from the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana, caused by heavy rains in parts of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

Due to the rise in the river’s water level, train movement on the ORB was suspended on Sunday night.

This increase in the water level is expected to affect the ongoing relief-and-rehabilitation work in the flood-affected low-lying areas of Delhi, according to officials.

Central Water Commission data shows that the water level rose from 205.02 meters on Saturday at 10 pm to 206.57 meters at 3 am on Monday before starting to decline again.

The India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rain in parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand until July 27.

Delhi has been grappling with unprecedented waterlogging and floods this month. Initially, intense waterlogging occurred on July 8 and 9 due to heavy rainfall, with the city receiving 125 per cent of its monthly rainfall quota in just two days.

Following that, heavy rains in the river’s upper catchment areas, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Haryana, led to the Yamuna’s water levels rising to record levels.

On July 13, at 208.66 meters, the Yamuna surpassed its previous record of 207.49 meters set in September 1978 by a significant margin. This resulted in breaches of embankments and the river reaching deeper into the city than it has in over four decades.

The floods have had devastating consequences, with more than 27,000 people evacuated from their homes and significant losses in terms of property, businesses, and earnings.

Experts have attributed the unprecedented flooding in Delhi to encroachments on the river floodplain, extreme rainfall within a short span of time, and silt accumulation that has raised the river bed.