At present, the water level in the Yamuna river has risen to 206.11 metres, well above the danger mark of 205.33 metres and the highest this year so far, said officials as quoted by news agency PTI.
Anil Banka, East Delhi District Magistrate informed that people living in low-lying areas near the riverbanks are being evacuated and shifted to higher grounds. He said that arrangements have been made for their stay at government schools and night shelters in nearby areas.
He also added that announcements are being made to caution people about a further increase in the water level. Generally, the low-lying areas, home to around 37,00 people, near the Yamuna river in Delhi are considered vulnerable to flooding.
Notably, this is the second time within the past two months that the authorities are evacuating the people living in the river floodplains due to flooding in the low-lying areas.
On August 12, the Yamuna breached the danger mark, due to which, around 7,000 people were evacuated from the low-lying areas near the riverbanks.
According to the Delhi flood control room, the water level at the Old Delhi Railway Bridge crossed the evacuation level of 206 metres at 5.45 am on Tuesday. The river swelled to 206.16 metres by 8 am. The water level may increase to 206.5 metres between 3 pm and 5 pm, it added.
Meanwhile, the authorities reported a discharge rate of around 96,000 cusecs at 7 am from the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana. The discharge rate was 2,95,212 cusecs at 6 am on Monday, which is the highest so far this year. One cusec is equivalent to 28.32 litres per second.
Normally, the flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage is 352 cusecs, but the discharge increases after heavy rainfall in the catchment areas. The water discharged from the barrage normally takes two to three days to reach the national capital.
The catchment of the Yamuna river system covers parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi.
(With PTI inputs)
