Yamuna water level at all-time high: How will Delhi-NCR be affected?

The Yamuna’s water level in Delhi is at an all-time high. The river on Wednesday rose to 207.81 metres at 6 pm, according to several media reports. This, after it rose to 207.55 metres earlier in the day –  breaking its all-time record of 207.49 metres set way back in 1978. According to the Central Water Commission’s (CWC) flood-monitoring portal, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge crossed the 207-metre mark at 4 am, the first time since 2013, and rose to 207.55 metres by 1 pm. Worse, officials say the river is expected to rise even further. Delhi water minister Saurabh Bharadwaj told the media that the city government was prepared to deal with the situation. “We are monitoring the situation and all possible steps are being taken.” But what happened? And what does this mean for Delhi-NCR? Let’s take a closer look: What happened? According to NDTV, several places have flooded including homes and markets. Many people are now camping on the terraces of their homes. Boats have been deployed for rescue operations and to bring awareness to people who may be along the river banks. “I appeal to the people who stay in the affected areas to vacate their homes with whatever essentials they need as soon as possible. We have made adequate arrangements for everything including food and toilets at camps,” Indian Express quoted Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as saying at a press conference. “The government has put relief measures in place… I have just met all the District Magistrates, and instructed them to take over schools to convert them to relief camps and for the utilisation of toilets and other facilities.”

As per News18, the police have imposed Section 144 in flood-prone areas.

The CrPC’s section 144 prevents unlawful assembly of four or more persons and public movement in groups. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority also issued an advisory asking people to avoid low-lying areas. According to Indian Express, temporary tents have been set up along the streets of Mayur Vihar. A farmer Sri Kishan told the outlet he’d leased two acres of land. “All my crops have been destroyed by the flood. I had to buy my own tarpaulin sheets and bamboo sticks to set up my tent,” Kishan said. [caption id=“attachment_12857132” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A man sits inside a flooded house at Yamuna Bazar area, in New Delhi. PTI[/caption] “This is like Venice,” a shopkeeper at north Delhi’s Monastery market – one of the many flooded spots – told PTI as locals scampered to salvage clothes, utensils and other objects. “The last time we saw so much water was in 2013. Flooding destroys our shops, ruins stocks. We suffer big losses,” another shopkeeper told NDTV. According to officials, Garhi Mandu village near the Signature Bridge in Wazirabad is submerged. A majority of the people have been taken to safety and the rest are being evacuated using boats, they said. Local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ajay Mahawar said water has entered the houses of the residents of Garhi Mandu and Usmanpur villages. “The power supply was cut off around 4 am as a precautionary measure and people were assisted to move to safer places. The problem is that many of them do not want to leave their houses despite the flood. We are also providing them food and distributing relief material through boats,” he added. The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) headquarters is flooded and the employees were seen wading their way through the water accumulated at the entrance to get into the office.

VIDEO | DTC headquarter in Delhi's Indraprastha faces waterlogging amid heavy rainfall in the national capital. pic.twitter.com/GZaF4OxwPK

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 12, 2023

Videos of the DTC headquarters located at Indraprastha showed people folding their trousers and holding their shoes in hand before entering the building. “Earlier, the situation would be this bad only when it rained for days. But this time, there is knee-deep water inside the headquarters. Adding to our woes, it also contains sewage water,” a DTC employee told PTI Video. According to officials, the DTC headquarters building has been in need of repair for a long time. Constructed in 1958, the redevelopment project of the headquarters and bus depot has been a long-standing proposal that has not achieved fruition till now, they said. The shopkeepers at the Monastery market were busy shifting their goods. “The government has not done anything. Our goods have been destroyed. This is like Venice,” one of them said, pointing towards the flooded market. Another man who runs a garments shop in the market said he had shifted the clothes to another shop owned by him in the area. “Some people have kept their goods at a height. But if the water level rises further, they will be doomed. The Yamuna is flowing just behind the market. The water level has been rising since 9 am. No government team has come to our aid so far,” he added. Kejriwal asks for Centre to intervene According to NDTV, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to the Centre urging that no more water be released by Haryana’s Hatnikund barrage. Kejriwal, in his letter to home minister Amit Shah, urged that “limited quantity of water should be released by Haryana from Hathnikund barrage so that the level of Yamuna doesn’t rise any further”. “If flood happens in Delhi, it won’t send a good message to the world,” Kejriwal, pointing to the upcoming G20 in New Delhi, wrote.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal writes to Union Home Minister Amit Shah

Limited quantity of water should be released from Hathnikund, so that the water level of Yamuna does not increase further. G20 summit is to be held in Delhi so if flood happens in Delhi, it won't send a… pic.twitter.com/iVbBUv8gTR

— ANI (@ANI) July 12, 2023

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Kejriwal earlier tweeted, “Central Water Commission predicts 207.72 meter water level in Yamuna tonite. Not good news for Delhi. “There have been no rains in Delhi last 2 days, however, levels of Yamuna are rising due to abnormally high volumes of water being released by Haryana at Hathnikund barrage. Urge Centre to intervene and ensure that levels in Yamuna don’t rise further. Highest Flood Level 207.49m (in 1978). Current Level 207.55m.” . What does this mean for Delhi-NCR? According to News18, the Yamuna is slated to cross the 208-metre mark on Thursday.

This has led to a red alert being sounded in Delhi.

The outlet quoted Delhi minister Atishi as saying that all necessary arrangements have been made and that the government is prepared to deal with any ‘unforeseen situation’. Northwest India has seen incessant rainfall for three days since Saturday, with many areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan recording “heavy to extremely heavy” precipitation. Delhi witnessed its highest rainfall (153 mm) in a single day in July since 1982 in the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Sunday. The city received an additional 107 mm rain in the subsequent 24 hours, exacerbating the situation. With inputs from agencies