New Delhi: On Sunday, following heavy rain in portions of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, the Yamuna in Delhi surpassed the danger mark once again due to an increase in discharge from the Hathnikund Barrage into the river.
Officials have warned that any further rise in the river's water level will have an effect on relief and restoration efforts in the low-lying sections of the capital that have been flooded.
On Saturday, Revenue Minister Atishi warned that some areas of Yamuna Khadar (floodplains) could be swamped if the water level rises to 206.7 metres, as a result of the discharge of over 2 lakh cusecs of water from the Hathnikund Barrage into the river. This has put the Delhi government on high alert.
After reaching a record high of 208.66 metres on July 13, the river's water level had been steadily rising and lingering around the danger mark of 205.33 metres for the past few days.
The water level increased from 205.02 metres at 10 p.m. on Saturday to 205.96 metres at 9 a.m. on Sunday, according to data from the Central Water Commission (CWC). By 4 p.m., it's predicted to have reached 206.7 metres.
The India Meteorological Department has issued a warning that sections of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand could see severe to extremely heavy rain from now until July 25.
The CWC data shows that the flow rate at the Yamunanagar-based Hathnikund Barrage surpassed 1,000,000 cubic feet per second at 9:00 AM on Saturday, and fluctuated between 2,500,000 and 2,500,000 cubic feet per second (10 AM to 5:00 PM). Since then, it has consistently ranged from 1.5 to 2 million cusecs.
The capital is currently cleaning up after one of the biggest flood spells it's seen in a while, which occurred in the second week of July, so this volume of water might cause moderate flooding.
After the second round of flooding, the Yamuna is expected to return most of the floodplain it abandoned in Delhi. City planners and policy makers should take the lessons acquired from last month's recent flood event into account. Citizens are relying on the prompt action of authorities, anticipating that all gates of the ITO barrage will be open and fully operational. According to Bhim Singh Rawat, associate coordinator of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers, and People, "immediate attention should be given to fix any breached sites and bunds."
Rain in the upper catchment areas, particularly in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, has caused slight variations in the water level over the past four or five days.
Heavy rains upstream of Delhi, according to authorities from the Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control Department, may delay the rehabilitation of impacted families in the flooded low-lying parts of the capital, forcing them to remain in relief camps for longer.
It may also damage the city's water supply, which was disrupted for four or five days after a pump building in Wazirabad was flooded. Normal service resumed on Tuesday.
The Wazirabad, Chandrawal, and Okhla treatment facilities, which together provide around 25% of the city's supply, receive their raw water from the pump house.
For over two weeks, residents of several Delhi neighbourhoods have had to deal with waterlogging and flooding.
On July 8 and 9, the city received 125 percent of its monthly rainfall allotment in just two days, leading to severe waterlogging.
Subsequently, the Yamuna River swelled to record levels due to severe rainfall in the upper catchment districts, which include Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Haryana.
The Yamuna's record height was 207.49 metres, established in September 1978; on July 13, it reached 208.66 metres. It broke through barriers and went further into the city than it had in more than forty years.
The floods have had disastrous effects, forcing the evacuation of more than 27,000 people. The monetary value of the losses to property, commerce, and income is in the crores.
Experts say that silt accumulation, severe rainfall in a short period of time, and encroachment on the river floodplain are to blame for the historic floods in Delhi.—Inputs from Agencies