Relief as Yamuna water level falls after rising to 204.09m

The Yamuna water level in Delhi rose sharply over the past few days following increased discharge from Haryana’s Hathnikund barrage, before beginning to recede on Sunday.

At 6 pm on Sunday, the water level near the Old Railway Bridge was recorded at 203.21 metres, down from 204.09 metres on Saturday night.

The rise followed increased water discharge from Hathnikund barrage over the past few days. According to official information, around 20,000 to 30,000 cusecs of water was released from the barrage on Thursday. The discharge increased to around 43,000 cusecs by Friday afternoon.

The Yamuna water level in Delhi was recorded at 203.05 metres on Friday as the increased discharge made its way downstream.

The situation began to ease after the volume of water released from Hathnikund fell sharply on Saturday. The discharge was around 13,000 cusecs, after which the Yamuna level also started to decline.

By Sunday evening, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge had fallen to 203.21 metres, well below the level at which authorities issue a warning.

The warning level is triggered when the Yamuna reaches 204.5 metres near the Old Railway Bridge or when the water released from Hathnikund barrage reaches 1 lakh cusecs. The river’s danger mark in Delhi is 205.33 metres. The Yamuna has not reached the warning level in Delhi so far during this monsoon season.

The fall in the river level has eased immediate concerns for the administration and people living around the Yamuna. For now, the water remains below both the warning level and the danger mark, after the brief rise linked to the increased discharge from Hathnikund barrage.