Yamuna rising, danger mounting, Delhi watching (Hindu 11 September 2010)

City will be in the grip of severe flood if the level reaches 207 metres today
There was no relief from the floods for the Capital on Friday as the Yamuna kept swelling, flowing above the danger mark of 204.83 metres at the Old Railway Bridge. At 6 p.m. the river crossed the 206-metre mark, fuelling fears that it would reach the dreaded 207-metre mark on Saturday.
Even as the Delhi Government tried to douse the panic over floodwaters entering the city and the State Irrigation and Flood Control Department continued vigil, experts said the government, instead of “underplaying” the situation, should take quick remedial measures. Delhi would be in the grip of a severe flood if the water level reaches 207 metres, they cautioned.
“The flood level at the Old Railway Bridge at 6 p.m. on Friday was 206.03 metres. It is the first time after 1995 that the level has crossed 206 metres. The situation in Delhi remains one of concern despite a breach of over 250 metres in an embankment at Patthargarh upstream of Panipat, which has inundated a large number of villages in Haryana,” said Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan, a non-governmental organisation. Though the breach reduced the volume of water in the river, the water would eventually flow back into the river.
He said the seriousness of the situation would become evident on Saturday, depending on whether or not the level touches the 207-metre mark.
“Since the Administration is aware which areas of the city are vulnerable, it must take immediate steps to ensure that people there are taken care of. There are several areas where water will rush in, and that is where the action should shift. This is not the time for panic, but this is also not the time for a false sense of security,” Mr. Misra said.
“No danger”
Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan denied any danger of floods and said the Yamuna “does not have the [quantum of] water to cause floods.”
The government also quelled fears of floods by pointing out that unlike in 1978 when the city was flooded, this time round the embankments are much higher, thereby reducing the impact of the river in spate.
Mr. Chauhan, who visited the flood-affected areas of Qudsia Park, Boat Club, Sonia Vihar, Garhi Mandu, Usmanpur Pusta, Jagatpur Village and Shastri Nagar, also inspected the camps in the low-level areas.
He said the level of the Yamuna was expected to rise up to 206.55 metres and remain stable. An alert was sounded, and those living in the low-level areas were being asked to shift to safer locations.
As part of the relief work, the government has positioned 72 boats on the riverside, besides 68 divers and boatmen. A team of the National Disaster Relief Force has also been deployed near ISBT.
The areas that were flooded in 1978 and continue to face the threat are the low-level colonies of ISBT, Batla House, Garhi Mandu, Majnu Ka Tila, Yamuna Bazar, Sonia Vihar, Jagatpur Village, Nigambodh Ghat, Shastri Park, Madanpur Khadar, ITO, Raj Ghat, Darya Ganj, Model Town and Mukherjee Nagar.
Bridge closed, trains cancelled
Rail traffic over the Old Yamuna Bridge was temporarily suspended at 5 p.m. on Friday in view of the sharp rise in the level of the Yamuna. As a result, seven trains were cancelled, 24 trains diverted and 28 short-terminated.
YAMUNA FLOODS YAMUNA BAZAR: A resident of Yamuna Bazar in the Capital inches his way to a safer place on Friday as flood waters of the Yamuna enter low-lying areas of Delhi.