'If Yamuna crosses the 206 mtr mark...': Arvind Kejriwal's announcement amid record rainfall in Delhi
Arvind Kejriwal said the water level in the Yamuna River is not expected to rise too high, and a flood-like situation in the national capital is unlikely.
- Jul 10, 2023,
- Updated Jul 10, 2023 4:37 PM IST
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday said the city administration will start evacuating people from the banks of the Yamuna river if the water level rises beyond 206-metre mark. He, however, said the water level in the Yamuna River is not expected to rise too high, and a flood-like situation in the national capital is unlikely.
On Sunday, the Delhi government issued a flood warning as Haryana released more than one lakh cusecs of water into the Yamuna river from the Hathnikund barrage. The irrigation and flood control department said this was the first warning, with 1,05,453 cusecs of water discharged at 4 pm. Normally, the flow rate at the barrage is 352 cusecs, but heavy rainfall in the catchment areas increases the discharge. The water from the barrage takes around two to three days to reach Delhi.
Today, the chief minister said that as per CWC (Central Water Commission), the Yamuna river is flowing at 203.58 meters in Delhi and it is expected to reach 205.5 meters tomorrow morning. "Also, according to weather predictions, the water level in Yamuna is not expected to rise too high; a flood-like situation is unlikely. If Yamuna crosses the 206-metre mark, then we will start evacuation along the banks of the river," Kejriwal said.
Delhi received 153 mm of rain on July 8 and 9. "Delhi's systems are not designed to take such unprecedented rain, so people faced troubles," the chief minister said while referring to severe waterlogging in parts of the city due to incessant rainfall in the last 2-3 days. "This is not the time to point fingers at each other. The governments of all affected states need to work together to provide relief to the public," Kejriwal said on the situation arising out of heavy rains in northern India.
The Yamuna river has already crossed the warning level. At 2 pm, the water level of the river was recorded at 204.88 metres at Old Railway Bridge. The danger level of the river is 205.33 metres. At 2 pm, 2,13,679 cusecs of water had been released from the Hathnikund Barrage.
IMD-Delhi Scientist Soma Sen said the weather department is expecting up to 12 cm of rainfall in Delhi. "There is a yellow alert for Delhi today. Tomorrow onwards, we're expecting rain to abate slightly over the north-west Himalayan region," she said.
Extremely heavy rainfall has wreaked havoc in some northern states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Haryana. Heavy rains have pounded Himachal, triggering landslides, damaging houses, and leaving several people dead. Rail operations on the Shimla-Kalka route, a UNESCO world heritage site, have been suspended till Tuesday as landslides blocked the track at several places while educational institutions across the state were ordered to remain shut on Monday and Tuesday.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday said the city administration will start evacuating people from the banks of the Yamuna river if the water level rises beyond 206-metre mark. He, however, said the water level in the Yamuna River is not expected to rise too high, and a flood-like situation in the national capital is unlikely.
On Sunday, the Delhi government issued a flood warning as Haryana released more than one lakh cusecs of water into the Yamuna river from the Hathnikund barrage. The irrigation and flood control department said this was the first warning, with 1,05,453 cusecs of water discharged at 4 pm. Normally, the flow rate at the barrage is 352 cusecs, but heavy rainfall in the catchment areas increases the discharge. The water from the barrage takes around two to three days to reach Delhi.
Today, the chief minister said that as per CWC (Central Water Commission), the Yamuna river is flowing at 203.58 meters in Delhi and it is expected to reach 205.5 meters tomorrow morning. "Also, according to weather predictions, the water level in Yamuna is not expected to rise too high; a flood-like situation is unlikely. If Yamuna crosses the 206-metre mark, then we will start evacuation along the banks of the river," Kejriwal said.
Delhi received 153 mm of rain on July 8 and 9. "Delhi's systems are not designed to take such unprecedented rain, so people faced troubles," the chief minister said while referring to severe waterlogging in parts of the city due to incessant rainfall in the last 2-3 days. "This is not the time to point fingers at each other. The governments of all affected states need to work together to provide relief to the public," Kejriwal said on the situation arising out of heavy rains in northern India.
The Yamuna river has already crossed the warning level. At 2 pm, the water level of the river was recorded at 204.88 metres at Old Railway Bridge. The danger level of the river is 205.33 metres. At 2 pm, 2,13,679 cusecs of water had been released from the Hathnikund Barrage.
IMD-Delhi Scientist Soma Sen said the weather department is expecting up to 12 cm of rainfall in Delhi. "There is a yellow alert for Delhi today. Tomorrow onwards, we're expecting rain to abate slightly over the north-west Himalayan region," she said.
Extremely heavy rainfall has wreaked havoc in some northern states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Haryana. Heavy rains have pounded Himachal, triggering landslides, damaging houses, and leaving several people dead. Rail operations on the Shimla-Kalka route, a UNESCO world heritage site, have been suspended till Tuesday as landslides blocked the track at several places while educational institutions across the state were ordered to remain shut on Monday and Tuesday.