Yamuna nears danger mark, revives fear of 2023 floods

The Yamuna is nearing the danger mark once again, reviving memories of the devastating 2023 floods that left several low-lying areas waterlogged for over a month.

On Thursday evening, the river was flowing at 202.24 meters at the Old Railway Bridge (popularly known as the Iron Bridge near Old Delhi Railway Station). The warning level is 204.5 m and the danger level stands at 205.33 m, according to the Irrigation and Flood Control Department.

Authorities remain vigilant due to persistent rainfall in the Himalayan region and are closely monitoring water releases from the Hathni Kund Barrage in Haryana. On Tuesday, 25,000 cusecs of water were released from the barrage, reaching Delhi by Wednesday. An additional 50,000 cusecs released later that evening swelled the river’s level further.

If the river crosses the danger mark, there is a risk of waterlogging in low-lying areas such as Haathi Ghat, Amnesty Market, Majnu Ka Tilla, Yamuna Vihar, Sonia Vihar, and Yamuna Khadar, an official said.

The officer added that if over one lakh cusecs of water is release from Hathni Kund barrage, a warning will be issued for the people living in the low-lying areas, in case of three lakh cusecs or more, boats will be deployed in low-lying areas and residents will be evacuated to safer locations.

To tackle the flood situation, the Delhi Government on Wednesday wrote to the Haryana Government, requesting them to hand over control of the ITO barrage on the Yamuna to bolster the city’s flood management.

Malfunctioning gates at the barrage significantly worsened flooding during 2023. The government has been carrying out repairs at the barrage, but having full control over it would result in swift action in case of emergency.

Notably, the city witnessed highest flood level at 208.66 m in 2023 at Old Railway Bridge when the overflowing waters touched the Red Fort in mid-July. The floods in Delhi were caused by a combination of heavy rainfall, water release from the Hathni Kund barrage, human-made factors like encroachments on the floodplain and malfunction of the gates of ITO barrage.