New Delhi, September 27
Authorities on Tuesday started evacuating people living in the low-lying areas near the Yamuna banks in Delhi with the water level in the river rising to 206.18 metres, much above the danger mark of 205.33 metres and the highest this year so far, following incessant rains in the upper catchment areas.
East Delhi District Magistrate Anil Banka said an evacuation alert was issued on Tuesday morning after the water level crossed the 206-metre mark.
The low-lying areas near the river in Delhi are considered vulnerable to flooding. They are home to around 37,000 people.
This is the second time in two months that the authorities are evacuating the people living in the river floodplains due to flooding.
The Yamuna had breached the danger mark of 205.33 metres on August 12, following which around 7,000 people were evacuated from the low-lying areas near the river banks.
The low-lying areas near the river in Delhi are considered vulnerable to flooding. They are home to around 37,000 people.
This is the second time in two months that the authorities are evacuating the people living in the river floodplains due to flooding.
The Yamuna had breached the danger mark of 205.33 metres on August 12, following which around 7,000 people were evacuated from the low-lying areas near the river banks.
The discharge rate was 2,95,212 cusecs at 6am on Monday, which is the highest so far this year. One cusec is equivalent to 28.32 litres per second.
Normally, the flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage is 352 cusecs, but the discharge increases after heavy rain in the catchment areas.
The water discharged from the barrage normally takes two to three days to reach the national capital.
Incessant rains have battered parts of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and north Uttar Pradesh over the last few days. Delhi also recorded a four-day-long rain spell starting September 21.
The catchment of the Yamuna river system covers parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.
Last year, the Yamuna breached the danger mark on July 30 and the water level at the Old Railway Bridge rose to 205.59 metres.
In 2019, the flow rate had peaked at 8.28 lakh cusecs on August 18-19, and the water level in the river had hit the 206.60-metre mark.
In 1978, the river had swollen to the all-time record water level of 207.49 metres. In 2013, it had risen to 207.32 metres.
