Yamuna rising; Capital faces flood threat (Hindu 09 September 2010)

‘A warning has been sounded and people have been evacuated from low-lying areas'
Already anxious over completion of work ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth Games, Delhi now has an overriding worry: rising waters of the Yamuna and imminent floods.
On Wednesday, as the quantum of water being released from the Hathni Kund barrage rose, the Delhi Administration began to brace itself up for a flood that is expected to be second only to the one in 1978 which is recorded as the worst in the city's history.
The amount of water released from Hathni Kund kept increasing from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m., and to the relief of the administration started subsiding after 5 p.m.
But experts cautioned that unless the waters in the Yamuna start receding overnight and rain in the upper reaches stops, the Capital will witness a flood.
“We are watching the situation. A lot of water has been released. At 4 p.m., 607,076 cusecs was released and this will take between 48 to 60 hours to reach Delhi. And yes, there is a flood threat,” said a senior official of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department of the Delhi Government.
In 1978, over seven lakh cusec of water was released into the Yamuna, as a consequence of which there was a severe flood that the city continues to recall even after three decades.
“This time the quantum of water released is less, but it is a red flag for the city,” said Manoj Misra, convenor of the non-government organisation Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan.
Delhi Government officials said as per the forecast issued by the Central Water Commission, the level of the river is expected to rise to 204.83 metres, which is also the danger mark.
“At 4 p.m. the water level in the river had reached 204.12 metres and by 8 p.m. on Thursday it is expected to touch 204.83 metres. A warning has already been sounded and people have been evacuated from the low lying areas,” an official said.
On Wednesday the water being released from the Hathni Kund barrage kept increasing hourly.
At 5 a.m., 62,000 cusecs was released; this rose to 92,000 cusecs at 6 a.m.; and by 11 a.m. it was 519,000 cusecs.
Dismissing fears that the city can get under water, the official said: “The flooding will occur in the floodplains. We will maintain a strict vigil over the embankments and check them for breaches. There is no threat of the flood waters entering the city and there is no connection between the water logging that happens on the roads and the rising levels of the Yamuna, because the sluice gates are kept shut at the major drains.”
On what the administration will do to check the flood, the official said: “We will increase patrolling and enhance the pumping arrangements. If the level of the river keeps rising we will have to pump out the water from the local catchment areas and for that the pumping arrangements will have to be in place.”
Referring to fears that the flood waters can inundate the multi-crore Commonwealth Games Village and the adjoining Akshardham Temple, the official said: “These structures have been built after considerable study and research. As on date we foresee no threat to these structures.”
According to officials, the places that will bear the brunt of the flood are the low-lying areas of Garhi Mandu, Usmanpur, Batla House, Majnu Ka Tila, low-lying areas around Ring Road, ISBT, Yamuna Bazar and Qudesia Ghat.
“The amount of water that has been discharged means that the river will cross the 206-metre mark at Old Railway Bridge and even reach catastrophic 207-metre mark. While the 206-metre mark has been crossed several times including in 1988 and 1995 recently, the 207.49 metre mark was crossed in 1978 when the city witnessed the worst flood,” said Mr. Misra, adding: “Delhiites can only keep their fingers crossed and hope for the best.”