Delhi: Yamuna flowing above danger mark at 206.44 metres, railways suspends train movements on iconic Old Loha Pul

New Delhi [India]: The Yamuna continued to flow water above the danger mark of 205.33 meters in the national capital. It was 206.44 metres at 10:00 pm on Sunday.

Due to the rise of water level of Yamuna to 206.4 metres, the working of old Yamuna bridge (Old Loha Pul) suspended from 2215 hrs Sunday, the Northern Railway said. The route between Delhi and Shahdara will be suspended, it added.

The rise in water level yet again sparked concerns of flood-like situation in the national capital and adjoining regions.

The river water level had been hovering around the danger mark of 205.33 metres for the last few days after reaching an all-time high of 208.66 metres on July 13.
The Central Water Commission’s (CWC) data showed the water level rose from 205.02 metres at 10 pm on Saturday to 205.96 metres at 9 am on Sunday which rose to 206.42 meters at 9 pm.

In addition to this, Hindon River in Noida, a tributary of Yamuna, also witnessed a rise in the water level on Saturday. Several houses located in low-lying areas were submerged into the water.

“Water entered some houses in the low-lying areas…as a precautionary measure, people have been evacuated to a safer place. The situation is normal at the moment and we are monitoring the water level and spreading awareness about it,” said, Sureshrao Kulkarni, Additional Commissioner of Police.

After July 13, the Yamuna had been receding gradually after reaching an all-time high of 208.66 meters but there have been marginal fluctuations in the water level over the last two-three days.The water level dropped below the danger mark at 8 pm on July 18 after flowing above the threshold for eight days.

The river breached the danger mark at 5 pm on July 10, leading to extensive flooding of the national capital.

Due to the increase in the water level of the river, several places in Delhi grappled with water-logging and flood-like situations.

The India Meteorological Department has predicted heavy to very heavy rain in parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand till July 25.

Meanwhile, Delhi Jal Board Vice-Chairman Saurabh Bhardwaj on Sunday inspected the Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant (WTP) and said that the Delhi government has made embankments and reinforcement at vulnerable spots to prevent flood water entering the water treatment plants.