Delhi: Yamuna’s water level declines marginally, Old Railway Bridge shut for traffic

The river's water level at the Old Railway Bridge has been hovering around the danger mark after reaching an all-time high of 208.66 metres on July 13

New Delhi: The Yamuna river in Delhi continued to flow over a metre above the danger level of 205.33 metres on Monday, forcing the authorities to suspend the movement of trains on the Old Railway Bridge.

According to the Central Water Commission, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge stood at 206.30 metres at 5 pm. The level was at 206.56 metres between 5 am and 7 am, declining marginally to 206.54 metres at 8 am, and then to 206.47 metres at 12 noon.

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The commission has forecast that the water level will dip to 206.22 metres by 2 am on Tuesday.

The river’s water level at the Old Railway Bridge has been hovering around the danger mark after reaching an all-time high of 208.66 metres on July 13.

It breached the danger mark again on Sunday following a surge in water discharge from the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana after heavy rain in parts of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

A railway official said the movement of trains on the bridge has been suspended due to the increase in the water level.

“The route between Delhi and Shahdara will remain suspended and trains will be diverted via New Delhi,” the official added.

The rise in the river’s water level is expected to impact the ongoing relief-and-rehabilitation work in the flood-affected low-lying areas of the national capital, officials said.

According to Central Water Commission data, the water level rose from 205.02 metres at 10 pm on Saturday to 206.57 metres at 3 am on Monday, before starting to decline again.

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

According to the water commission data, the flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana’s Yamunanagar crossed the one lakh cusec-mark at 9 am on Saturday, oscillating between two lakh and 2.5 lakh cusecs between 10 am and 5 pm.

Irrigation and flood control department officials in Delhi said the heavy rain in the river’s upstream areas will impact rehabilitation of the affected families in the inundated low-lying areas of the national capital and they may have to stay at relief camps for a longer period.

Delhi grappled with unprecedented waterlogging and floods this month.

Initially, a downpour caused intense waterlogging on July 8 and 9, with the city receiving 125 per cent of its monthly rainfall quota in just two days.

Subsequently, heavy rain in the river’s upper catchment areas, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana, led to the Yamuna’s water swelling to record levels.

At 208.66 metres on July 13, the Yamuna surpassed its previous record of 207.49 metres set in September 1978 by a significant margin. It breached embankments and penetrated deeper into the city than it has in more than four decades.

The consequences of the floods have been devastating, with more than 27,000 people evacuated from their homes. The losses incurred in terms of property, businesses and earnings have run into crores.

Experts attributed the unprecedented flooding in Delhi to encroachment on the river floodplain, extreme rainfall within a short span of time and silt accumulation that has raised the river bed.