Delhi Flood Alert: Yamuna Crosses Warning Level, Yellow Alert On; CM Kejriwal Says Flooding Unlikely

Delhi Rains: Due to the unprecedented amount of rainfall in north India in the past two days, the water in the Yamuna River flowing through Delhi is nearing the danger mark. The Yamuna on Monday inched closer to the warning mark after Haryana released more water into the river from the Hathnikund barrage.

The Yamuna is likely to cross the danger mark around 11 am on Tuesday as a large quantity of water is being discharged into the upper reaches of the river, Delhi minister Atishi said on Monday. However, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal assures the people that experts have said the flood situation might not arise in the national capital.

Yellow Alert On

The warning level of water in Yamuna in Delhi is 204.50 metres while the danger mark is 205.33 metres. The city authorities sounded a ‘yellow alert’ after the water level reached 204.63 meters at 1 pm on Monday.

Yamuna Close To Danger Mark

Public Works Department minister Atishi, who inspected the preparedness for evacuation and relief work, said water is rushing in the Yamuna towards Delhi very fast due to very heavy rainfall in north Indian states.

“Around 43,000 cusecs of water was being discharged into Yamuna from Haryana till yesterday morning that has increased to nearly three lakh cusecs now. We expect the level of water in Yamuna to reach the danger mark around 10-11 am on Tuesday,” she told the news agency PTI.

‘Delhi’s System Not Designed For Such Unprecedented Rain’

Meanwhile, Kejriwal announced that evacuation of people from low-lying areas around Yamuna will start once the river touches the 206-metre mark. After holding a meeting over the torrential rains and the rising Yamuna water levels, Kejriwal addressed a press conference, stating that the government was closely monitoring the situation and was fully prepared to tackle it.

“The unprecedented rain caused problems for people and Delhi’s system was not able to withstand it. Every year after rainfall, some vulnerable areas are waterlogged and the water is drained out in a couple of hours. But the 153 mm of rainfall was unprecedented and an event which happened in nearly 40 years,” he said.

The chief minister said they were in touch with the Central Water Commission and asserted that weather predictions indicate that even though there will be more rains, they would not be quite heavy.

“Due to rains, there might have been some potholes that could have formed on roads. They will be filled with stones to avert any untoward incident. We have also ordered an inquiry into incidents of road cave-in. The area under New Delhi Municipal Council, which is a VVIP area, witnessed waterlogging. We have asked them (NDMC) to resolve the issues,” he said.

(With PTI Inputs)