Delhi floods: 'Danger not over yet', says CM Arvind Kejriwal as Yamuna recedes gradually

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said the water level of the Yamuna in the national capital is decreasing gradually and the situation will normalise soon if there is no more heavy rainfall. Several parts of Delhi are still inundated after the Yamuna in the city breached its banks earlier this week. 

"The water level in Yamuna is decreasing gradually. If there is no heavy rain again, the situation will become normal soon," he tweeted in Hindi.

"Started withdrawing water from Chandrawal and Wazirabad water treatment plants. After this the machines will dry. Both the plants will be operational only by tomorrow," the tweet further read. The Chief Minister also urged people of Delhi to help each other in this time of need.

Furthermore, he also urged people to avoid waterlogged areas. "There are reports from many places that some people are going to play or swim in the water or are going for video/selfie. Please don't do this. This can be fatal. The danger of flood is not over yet. The velocity of water is very fast. Water can rise anytime," he wrote.

Yamuna, which breached its banks following days of heavy rains in its upper catchment areas, followed a downward trend on Saturday morning, albeit at a slow pace of a few centimetres per hour. According to the Central Water Commission's flood-monitoring portal, the Yamuna water level declined to 207.62 metres by 7 am on Saturday from its peak of 208.66 metres at 8 pm on Thursday, PTI reported.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), meanwhile, removed the speed restrictions on the movement of trains on the Yamuna bridges as the water level of the river receded. "Speed restriction imposed while crossing Metro bridges over Yamuna has been removed. All trains are running at normal speed now," it said in a tweet.

Delhi Metro trains were crossing the four Yamuna bridges with a restricted speed of 30 kmph as a precautionary measure due to Yamuna's rising water level, the DMRC said on Thursday.

The Yamuna is still, however, flowing over two metres above the danger mark of 205.33 metres. The situation could worsen if weather predictions for the national capital do come true.

The weather department has issued a 'yellow' alert for rains in the national capital on Saturday. A 'yellow' alert indicates bad weather conditions which might change for the worse, disrupting daily activities. The regional meteorological centre has predicted a generally cloudy sky with light to moderate rainfall for the next 4-5 days in Delhi.

Also Read: Delhi floods: IMD issues yellow alert for Saturday; more rains in store for next 4-5 days