Yamuna nears warning mark in Delhi

The water level of the Yamuna river in Delhi reached 204.43 metres at the Old Railway Bridge, nearing the warning level of 204.50 metres, officials said on Thursday.

According to the officials, the situation is being monitored and all the agencies concerned have been asked to take precautionary measures to deal with a potential flood-like situation.

The Yamuna's water level stood at 204.43 metres at the Old Railway Bridge at 9 am, the officials said.

The warning mark for the city is 204.5 metres, while the danger mark is 205.3 metres and evacuation starts at 206 metres. The Old Railway Bridge serves as a key observation point for tracking the river's flow and potential flood risks.

"The increase in the water level is mostly due to the large volumes of water being released from the Wazirabad and Hathnikund Barrage every hour due to rainfall in the upper catchment areas of Haryana and Uttarakhand," an official said.

According to the flood control department, around 31,250 cusecs of water is being released from Wazirabad every hour and around 25,126 cusecs is being released from the Hathnikund Barrage.

Water released from the barrage typically takes 48 to 50 hours to reach Delhi. Even lower discharges from upstream are raising the water level of the Yamuna.