Yamuna swells past danger mark, Delhi braces for flooding threat

The Yamuna river crossed the danger mark in the national capital early September 2, triggering flood fears in low-lying areas and prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders.

At 6 am, the river was flowing at 205.68 metres at the Old Yamuna Bridge, above the danger threshold of 205.33 metres, according to officials. Within an hour, the level rose further to 205.75 metres as heavy discharges from upstream barrages continued to swell the water flow.

The crisis was fuelled by a record release of over 2.07 lakh cusecs from Haryana’s Hathni Kund Barrage, along with 67,260 cusecs from Wazirabad and nearly 62,000 cusecs from the Okhla Barrage. Authorities warned that the Yamuna could touch the evacuation mark of 206 metres by Tuesday evening.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta assured citizens that the administration is on high alert and fully prepared to deal with the situation. “Every measure is being taken to ensure the safety of residents,” she said.

Meanwhile, officials have begun relocating families from the floodplains to safer ground as water levels rise steadily, raising the spectre of widespread inundation if the river breaches further.