Yamuna breaches critical 208.46m mark; extreme flood alert in Capital

The Central Water Commission estimated that the Yamuna could swell to 207.99 metres on Wednesday night- an unprecedented danger mark.

But exceeding the estimate, the water level of Yamuna breached the mark of 208.05 metres marking it as an ‘extreme situation’ for Delhi as flood water entered the city on Wednesday evening. On Thursday morning, the water level breached the mark of 208.46 metres with flood water entering Delhi’s ITO. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal urged the Centre to intervene and ensure that the water released from Haryana’s Hathnikund barrage is slowed.

Yamuna water level today: How has it been rising? What is the danger mark

The danger mark is 205.33 metres which was breached on Monday after heavy rain for consecutive days. The water level shot up rapidly. But as the intensity of the rain was to gradually weaken, Kejriwal on Monday said there was no immediate flood threat.

The water level breached all-time record of 207.49 metres by 1pm on Wednesday. On Thursday morning, the level was beyond the 208-metre mark.

What led to the Delhi flood? Delhi blames Haryana’s Hathnikund barrage

Extreme rain in a very short duration has been identified as the primary cause for the Yamuna flooding parts of Delhi. An official of the Central Water Commission said the water released from the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana took less time to reach Delhi compared to other occasions. The reason could be encroachment and siltation. The water had a constricted space to pass through which could have increased the speed, experts said. The same amount of rainfall scattered over a few days would not have led to the extreme situation, experts believe.

Delhi flood: List of affected areas

All low-lying areas along Yamuna have been affected as the flood water entered the ring road on Wednesday afternoon. Boat Club, Monastery Market, Neeli Chhatri Temple, Yamuna Bazar, Neem Karoli gaushala, Vishwakarma colony, the stretch between Majnu ka Tila and Wazirabad were flooded by Wednesday evening.

Parts of Mayur Vihar, Laxmi Nagar, Sarai Kale Khan, Badarpur, Jamia Nagar, and Shaheen Bagh are at risk of getting flooded if the water level rises further.