New Delhi (Agency): The Yamuna River, flowing through Delhi, is demonstrating a receding trend in its water level, bringing a sense of relief to the city. But, the river level still remains two meters over the danger mark of 205.33 meters. This comes after a slight increase on Monday due to rains in areas upstream of the national capital.
The Wazirabad water treatment plant, previously affected by the flooding of a pump house, is now operating at full capacity, announced Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. As reported by the Central Water Commission’s flood-monitoring portal, the Yamuna water level dropped to 205.67 meters by Tuesday morning, down from 206.01 meters on Monday night. The water level is predicted to drop even further, reaching 205.41 meters by Tuesday evening.
The Yamuna River’s flow rate from Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana’s Yamunanagar has been on a decrease over the past two days, thus further decline in the water level is anticipated. The river has been gradually reducing its level after peaking to an all-time high of 208.66 meters on the previous Thursday. However, the possibility of minor fluctuations can’t be ruled out due to rain in the upper reaches.
Earlier, the flooding of a pump house at Wazirabad due to the bloated Yamuna disrupted operations at Wazirabad, Chandrawal, and Okhla water treatment plants. This resulted in a significant 25% reduction in water supply. However, operations resumed at the Okhla plant on Friday, followed by the Chandrawal plant on Sunday.
Kejriwal expressed his appreciation on Twitter on Tuesday, stating, “Wazirabad Water treatment plant has also started working at full capacity. Now all WTPs are working at full capacity. DJB worked very hard. Thank you, DJB!”
Meanwhile, sections of the city have been battling waterlogging and flooding for the past week. Initial downpours led to severe waterlogging on July 8 and 9. In just two days, the city received 125% of its monthly rainfall quota. Subsequent heavy rains in the upper catchment areas, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Haryana, caused the Yamuna to swell to record levels.
The river peaked at 208.66 meters on Thursday, surpassing the previous record set in September 1978 by a significant margin. The river broke through embankments and intruded deeper into the city than it has in over four decades.
The flood situation last week deteriorated so rapidly that Kejriwal had to request the Centre’s intervention and the Delhi Police had to impose Section 144 of the CrPC in flood-prone areas to prevent public movement. The army was even called in to repair a broken flow regulator, marking the first such intervention since the floods in 2010.
The consequences of the floods have been catastrophic, with over 26,000 people having to leave their homes. The monetary loss resulting from the damage to property, businesses, and loss of earnings is massive.
Experts link this unprecedented flooding in Delhi to encroachments on floodplains, extreme rainfall within short durations, and silt accumulation that raised the riverbed. The low-lying areas near the river in the northeast, east, central, and southeast districts are prone to flooding, housing around 41,000 people.
Regrettably, despite this known risk, encroachment and development have been rapidly progressing in this ecologically sensitive region over the years. Records show that approximately 2,480 hectares of land in the Yamuna floodplains have been encroached upon or developed since 2009.
