Delhi: Orange alert sounded as Yamuna flows over danger mark at 206.04 mm

New Delhi [India]: The water level of the Yamuna, which breached the danger mark of 205.33 metres earlier on Monday, was recorded at 206.04 mm at 11 pm, triggering an Orange alert, according to data shared by the Flood Control Department in the national capital.

According to the flood bulletin, the water level of the Yamuna at the Old Railway Bridge was recorded at 206.04 mm at 11 pm. With the Yamuna water rising, people residing on the floodplain and along the banks, in the Mayur Vihar Extension area of the national capital, started shifting to roads, according to sources.

Officials said the evacuation of people living on the Yamuna floodplains begins at the ‘Orange alert’ mark, which is at 206 metres.

It is anticipated that the water level would reach 206.65 metres at 3 am on Tuesday, officials informed further.

The water level in the Yamuna has been rising continuously as neighbouring Haryana released more water into the river from the Hathnikund barrage, amid heavy rainfall.
The Yamuna was deemed to be flowing over the danger mark of 205.76 metres at 8 pm on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government was alert to the situation and fully geared to deal with it.

“As the water level goes over 206 metres, we will start shifting people living on the banks. The process of taking them safely to relief camps will be started. Earlier, we anticipated that the water level would cross 205 metres on July 11, but it did so today itself as more water was released from Haryana,” the minister said.

Earlier, on Monday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said there is no threat of flooding in the national capital due to rising water level of the Yamuna on account of record rainfall over two days.

Urging the Opposition parties not to indulge in a blame game, the CM said it was not the time to “point fingers” at each other. “A flood-like situation is unlikely in Delhi. Our government is prepared to deal with any situation,” CM Kejriwal said at a press conference here after chairing a meeting to review the government’s handling of the situation arising out of the heavy rainfall.

Kejriwal said, “This is not the time to point fingers at each other or single out anyone”, adding that the evacuation of people from low-lying areas around Yamuna will commence once the river breaches the 206-metre mark.