River in a menacing mood, might soar to its highest level around noon today
People living in low-lying areas asked to vacate and take shelter in high places
Delhi Government has made adequate arrangements to tackle situation: Minister
WATER OVER BRIDGE: Commuters negotiate a water-logged Old Yamuna Bridge in Delhi on Thursday.
NEW DELHI: For the second time this season, the Yamuna breached the danger level of 204.83 metres at the Old Railway Bridge in the Capital on Thursday afternoon after about 7 lakh cusecs of water was released upstream from Hathani Kund barrage in Haryana.
With excessive amount of water released by Haryana between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Wednesday, experts believe that Delhi would witness the highest flood level of around 207 metres past noon this Friday.
While the river had flowed over the danger mark for over a week this past month and hovered around the 206-metre mark before receding, it has risen much more menacingly now and is expected to go even a metre higher, flooding vast stretches of land and low-lying areas.
With the river rising continuously, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit held a review meeting with officials of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department at her residence on Thursday morning. Later Delhi Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan convened an urgent high-level meeting to review the situation arising out of the release of water from Hathani Kund barrage in Haryana and the rapid rise in the level of the Yamuna in Delhi.
Mr. Chauhan informed that as per information received from the Central Water Commission the level of the Yamuna might reach a record level of 206.90 metres on Friday and stay around that level.
Release of a similar quantity of water from the barrage in 1978 had led to massive flooding in Delhi when the level of the Yamuna had touched 207.49 metres.
Mr. Chauhan, however, assured that the situation is very different this time round. He said the Delhi Government had made adequate arrangements should the Yamuna bank or nearby low-lying areas get flooded.
The Minister also appealed to the people living in low-laying areas to vacate and take shelter on high places.
He said the Irrigation and Flood Control Department officials have been issuing continuous warnings to people residing in low laying areas to vacate and shift to safer locations. “The situation is being monitored round the clock through a control room set up by Deputy Commissioner (East),'' he said.
The Minister said the Irrigation and Flood Control Department has also readied 85,850 empty cement bags, 3,582 cubic metres of stone, 5,275 wooden ‘balli', 2,700 iron mesh or ‘jali', 11 trucks, 422 life jackets and 45 specialised search lights to meet any eventuality.
Besides, he added, 90 big and small pumps have been installed at different locations to pump out water from low-lying areas like Ring Road, Okhla, Majnu Ka Tila, Burari, Batala House and Jahangirpuri.
Stating that 74 boats and 68 divers have been placed on stand-by along with a team of the National Disaster Relief Force, the Minister said the Chief Engineer of the Flood Control Department has also been directed to keep adequate staff ready to deal with any breach on the bunds along the river.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Flood situation in Haryana worsens (Hindu 10 September 2010)
Yamunanagar, Ambala districts worst affected
National Highways 73 and 73A still closed
Faridabad faces flood threat
CHANDIGARH: The flood situation in Haryana turned grim on Thursday with Yamunanagar and Ambala districts worst affected due to heavy rain in the region for the past two days.
Official sources said nearly 100 villages are flooded in Yamunanagar district as the Yamuna and seasonal rivers of Som Nadi and Pathrala are in spate and have been breached at several places.
They further said that flood water had entered 62 of these villages, including the inhabited areas, and at least 15 villages were completely cut off as the roads had been submerged in water. Agricultural land in the affected villages, particularly Khiljrabad, Khijri, Ledilada and Jalana, had suffered the maximum damage.
Flood water have also spilled and entered a few villages like Chougam, Hansu Majra, Garhi Birbal, Garhpur Tapu, Palsora, Halwana, Nabiyabad, Japti Chhapra, Sayed Chhapra, Nagli and Dera Sikkligarh.
The Jagadhri-Saharanpur National Highway-73 and the Jagadhri-Poanta Sahib National Highway-73A are still closed to traffic after some portions were damaged on Wednesday.
Yamunanagar Deputy Commissioner Ashok Sangwan claimed that the water inflow in the Yamuna had reduced considerably and nearly 1.70 lakh cusecs of water was released from the Hathni Kund Barrage.
Troops have been called out to help in the rescue and relief operations.
Meanwhile, Ambala Deputy Commissioner Samir Pal Saro has advised the people to avoid going near the Tangi and Markanda rivers as it could prove dangerous due to the rising level of water in these rivers.
Due to heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh, the Tangri and Markanda rivers have recorded a heavy inflow of water. Six persons who went near the riverbed to collect firewood got trapped in the heavy waters at Harda village on Wednesday. They had climbed the poplar trees in a bid to save themselves. Army jawans rescued them from drowning by showing exemplary courage and bravery, he added.
The district administration was maintaining a close vigil as water in these rivers had touched 50,000 cusecs on Wednesday night which was the highest level witnessed in the last 25 years, he said
The area between Kalpi and Markanda has become water-logged and the road between Saha and Jagadhri has been closed to vehicular traffic.
Meanwhile, an official spokesman of the Irrigation Department said that the damage to the Tajewala Headworks would be reviewed after the floods recede.
In a related development, Faridabad district authorities sounded an alert about flood threat as water in the Yamuna released from Hathni Kund Barrage was likely to reach the district through the Okhla Barrage.
National Highways 73 and 73A still closed
Faridabad faces flood threat
CHANDIGARH: The flood situation in Haryana turned grim on Thursday with Yamunanagar and Ambala districts worst affected due to heavy rain in the region for the past two days.
Official sources said nearly 100 villages are flooded in Yamunanagar district as the Yamuna and seasonal rivers of Som Nadi and Pathrala are in spate and have been breached at several places.
They further said that flood water had entered 62 of these villages, including the inhabited areas, and at least 15 villages were completely cut off as the roads had been submerged in water. Agricultural land in the affected villages, particularly Khiljrabad, Khijri, Ledilada and Jalana, had suffered the maximum damage.
Flood water have also spilled and entered a few villages like Chougam, Hansu Majra, Garhi Birbal, Garhpur Tapu, Palsora, Halwana, Nabiyabad, Japti Chhapra, Sayed Chhapra, Nagli and Dera Sikkligarh.
The Jagadhri-Saharanpur National Highway-73 and the Jagadhri-Poanta Sahib National Highway-73A are still closed to traffic after some portions were damaged on Wednesday.
Yamunanagar Deputy Commissioner Ashok Sangwan claimed that the water inflow in the Yamuna had reduced considerably and nearly 1.70 lakh cusecs of water was released from the Hathni Kund Barrage.
Troops have been called out to help in the rescue and relief operations.
Meanwhile, Ambala Deputy Commissioner Samir Pal Saro has advised the people to avoid going near the Tangi and Markanda rivers as it could prove dangerous due to the rising level of water in these rivers.
Due to heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh, the Tangri and Markanda rivers have recorded a heavy inflow of water. Six persons who went near the riverbed to collect firewood got trapped in the heavy waters at Harda village on Wednesday. They had climbed the poplar trees in a bid to save themselves. Army jawans rescued them from drowning by showing exemplary courage and bravery, he added.
The district administration was maintaining a close vigil as water in these rivers had touched 50,000 cusecs on Wednesday night which was the highest level witnessed in the last 25 years, he said
The area between Kalpi and Markanda has become water-logged and the road between Saha and Jagadhri has been closed to vehicular traffic.
Meanwhile, an official spokesman of the Irrigation Department said that the damage to the Tajewala Headworks would be reviewed after the floods recede.
In a related development, Faridabad district authorities sounded an alert about flood threat as water in the Yamuna released from Hathni Kund Barrage was likely to reach the district through the Okhla Barrage.
Flash floods kill 8 in Arunachal Pradesh (Hindu 11 September 2010)
Guwahati: Flash floods in the Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh bordering China claimed eight lives on Thursday evening. Several houses in Mossing village of the district were washed away.
Union Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh, who was scheduled to visit Pasighat in East Siang district on Friday to hold a public consultation on projects to build dams across the Siang river, cancelled his visit as floodwaters inundated the airfield.
The floods have disrupted surface communication in the districts. Several bridges have also been damaged or washed away.
In Upper Siang, the road link has been disrupted between the headquarter town of Yingkiong and Tuting and Mariyang, while the Pasighat-Pangin road and Pasighat-Mebo road in East Siang district were breached at several places.
The Brahmaputra has also swelled, flooding a large number of villages in upper Assam, and also the river-island of Majuli.
Union Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh, who was scheduled to visit Pasighat in East Siang district on Friday to hold a public consultation on projects to build dams across the Siang river, cancelled his visit as floodwaters inundated the airfield.
The floods have disrupted surface communication in the districts. Several bridges have also been damaged or washed away.
In Upper Siang, the road link has been disrupted between the headquarter town of Yingkiong and Tuting and Mariyang, while the Pasighat-Pangin road and Pasighat-Mebo road in East Siang district were breached at several places.
The Brahmaputra has also swelled, flooding a large number of villages in upper Assam, and also the river-island of Majuli.
PAANI (Indian Express 11 September 2010)
“Did you pray to the God here at this temple in the morning to spare you from the Yamuna floods?” thundered the Zee TV reporter, half-submerged in the Pracheen Shiv Mandir complex on the banks of the river in East Delhi.
Deftly balancing a rainbow umbrella and his camera, the cameraman walked down the steps of the temple to where the reporter was standing, his trousers rolled up to the knees.
The target of the reporter’s question was the hapless young priest, Bharat Bhushan, who fumbled and stammered before nodding what looked like a half-yes and a half-no.
But the reporter didn’t need an answer, he had one already. “What can God do? The God has drowned,” he declared, looking straight into the camera. The camera moved to the deity who sat in her place with a stone smile on her lips, muddy-brown water lapping against her feet.
This was just one of the over 20 TV teams that had found perches for themselves and their OB vans along the banks of the Yamuna waiting to record the “catastrophe of sorts”, the “10,766-crore-litre deluge”, the “moment when cars will start swimming and the city will start drowning”. Happy children, with more than enough water to splash around and bathe in, shouted, “Aaj ki Taaza Khabar.”
They had all started work early in the morning, primed by some newspaper headlines that the end was near, that it would come around 4 pm. That the water could cross the 207-m mark, as it did in 1978.
After around 6 lakh cusecs were released into the Yamuna from the Hathni Kund Barrage in Haryana Wednesday, the river rose to reach 206.03 m this evening — 1.2 m above the danger mark.
By Saturday morning, it is expected to rise to 206.35 m, and maybe even reach the Ring Road. But the Central Water Commission said it wasn’t going to breach the 207-m mark.
But those were only facts that came in the way of today’s lovely TV story.
At 4.03 pm, the deluge didn’t come. The reporters looked confused. A reporter from India Live stood valiantly, waist-deep in the river, doing her flood piece. That was the lowest vantage point. As she stood under the bridge, telling the world that Delhi was about to drown, Pawan Mishra, a slightly puzzled bystander, made an obvious point.
“But this is where the Yamuna flows. It is the river’s space. Why are they all making it seem as if the river has expanded?” Mishra said.
But Mishra confessed to having played his own part in the tamasha. Somewhat guiltily, he said he had succumbed to the invitation of a young reporter who, speaking in Punjabi, had urged him to roll up his trousers and get into the water. He had done so, but the river had only lapped his ankles. She had egged him to go farther. But from where they were standing, the river had looked menacing to Mishra. He had chickened out. Later, he was looking for her.
“They are like butterflies,” Mishra said. “They skip from one spot to another, stand on the bridge, go down to the river, they do all sorts of things,” he said. “I have been watching them for a while. One of them asked me to ask for flood relief on camera. But I don’t even live here. I only came to watch the 4 pm deluge.”
One cameraman said his channel had given him specific instructions to show the water as if it was a threat.
“Of course this is a flood,” he said, pointing to a few jhuggis that had been submerged. “We do what we are asked to do. We will be here late into the night. You never know when the floods will come.”
In 1978, the river had crossed 207.48 m, affecting over 250,000 people.
But today, when no deluge came, the reporters began to take U-turns. One channel said there was a “Brake on the floods”; one reporter, a cloud over his face, said there was “no hope of floods”. His anchor had a ready explanation: a crack in a dam in Panipat was the reason why the flood had got delayed.
At Boat Club near ISBT, TV crew had hired rickety boats to do their “piece-to-camera” or “walk-through”. Around 74 boats and 68 divers were kept in the standby mode by the Delhi government but at the Boat Club most boatmen made a killing by renting out the boats to TV crew.
A member of a television crew stationed near the Yamuna said the boats could be used for rescue operations with the cameras in them. The media was doing public service, he said.
In a far corner, Doordarshan reporter Anuj Yadav stood with his team. “We are reporting the truth. There are no floods here. The other media are reporting Delhi will be flooded in 24 hours. This is creating a crisis,” he said. “This is Peepli [Live].”
A few steps away from this moral high ground, a young TV reporter climbed on to the roof of a house, adjusted her hair and began to speak. She was out of earshot.
Deftly balancing a rainbow umbrella and his camera, the cameraman walked down the steps of the temple to where the reporter was standing, his trousers rolled up to the knees.
The target of the reporter’s question was the hapless young priest, Bharat Bhushan, who fumbled and stammered before nodding what looked like a half-yes and a half-no.
But the reporter didn’t need an answer, he had one already. “What can God do? The God has drowned,” he declared, looking straight into the camera. The camera moved to the deity who sat in her place with a stone smile on her lips, muddy-brown water lapping against her feet.
This was just one of the over 20 TV teams that had found perches for themselves and their OB vans along the banks of the Yamuna waiting to record the “catastrophe of sorts”, the “10,766-crore-litre deluge”, the “moment when cars will start swimming and the city will start drowning”. Happy children, with more than enough water to splash around and bathe in, shouted, “Aaj ki Taaza Khabar.”
They had all started work early in the morning, primed by some newspaper headlines that the end was near, that it would come around 4 pm. That the water could cross the 207-m mark, as it did in 1978.
After around 6 lakh cusecs were released into the Yamuna from the Hathni Kund Barrage in Haryana Wednesday, the river rose to reach 206.03 m this evening — 1.2 m above the danger mark.
By Saturday morning, it is expected to rise to 206.35 m, and maybe even reach the Ring Road. But the Central Water Commission said it wasn’t going to breach the 207-m mark.
But those were only facts that came in the way of today’s lovely TV story.
At 4.03 pm, the deluge didn’t come. The reporters looked confused. A reporter from India Live stood valiantly, waist-deep in the river, doing her flood piece. That was the lowest vantage point. As she stood under the bridge, telling the world that Delhi was about to drown, Pawan Mishra, a slightly puzzled bystander, made an obvious point.
“But this is where the Yamuna flows. It is the river’s space. Why are they all making it seem as if the river has expanded?” Mishra said.
But Mishra confessed to having played his own part in the tamasha. Somewhat guiltily, he said he had succumbed to the invitation of a young reporter who, speaking in Punjabi, had urged him to roll up his trousers and get into the water. He had done so, but the river had only lapped his ankles. She had egged him to go farther. But from where they were standing, the river had looked menacing to Mishra. He had chickened out. Later, he was looking for her.
“They are like butterflies,” Mishra said. “They skip from one spot to another, stand on the bridge, go down to the river, they do all sorts of things,” he said. “I have been watching them for a while. One of them asked me to ask for flood relief on camera. But I don’t even live here. I only came to watch the 4 pm deluge.”
One cameraman said his channel had given him specific instructions to show the water as if it was a threat.
“Of course this is a flood,” he said, pointing to a few jhuggis that had been submerged. “We do what we are asked to do. We will be here late into the night. You never know when the floods will come.”
In 1978, the river had crossed 207.48 m, affecting over 250,000 people.
But today, when no deluge came, the reporters began to take U-turns. One channel said there was a “Brake on the floods”; one reporter, a cloud over his face, said there was “no hope of floods”. His anchor had a ready explanation: a crack in a dam in Panipat was the reason why the flood had got delayed.
At Boat Club near ISBT, TV crew had hired rickety boats to do their “piece-to-camera” or “walk-through”. Around 74 boats and 68 divers were kept in the standby mode by the Delhi government but at the Boat Club most boatmen made a killing by renting out the boats to TV crew.
A member of a television crew stationed near the Yamuna said the boats could be used for rescue operations with the cameras in them. The media was doing public service, he said.
In a far corner, Doordarshan reporter Anuj Yadav stood with his team. “We are reporting the truth. There are no floods here. The other media are reporting Delhi will be flooded in 24 hours. This is creating a crisis,” he said. “This is Peepli [Live].”
A few steps away from this moral high ground, a young TV reporter climbed on to the roof of a house, adjusted her hair and began to speak. She was out of earshot.
Yamuna breach makes Delhi heave a sigh of relief (Indian Express 11 September 2010)
Though water level of the river touched 206.03 metres by evening, officials ruled out the possibility of any major flooding
A breach in the Yamuna, passing through Panipat in Haryana, has diverted the flow of water — abating fears of massive flooding in the national capital.
With the water level rising since Thursday evening to reach 206.03 metres — 1.2 metres above the danger mark — by the same time on Friday, Railway authorities were forced to close the Old Yamuna Bridge.
The civic authorities, however, have made it clear that there is no chance of flood waters reaching city areas, and people living in low-lying areas had been evacuated by August-end itself.
“There is no need to worry. Everything is in place and the administration is fully equipped to handle any eventuality. I was informed earlier today that some breaches have taken place in canals outside Delhi, due to which the water flowing through them has also deviated to other areas,” Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said.
The Central Water Commission had sounded the flood alarm after the water level reached 231.96 metres at Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh at 7 am — indicating a rising trend. The flood warning was, however, brought down to moderate as the water level fell to 231.90 metres at about 2 pm, 1.05 metres above the danger mark.
A breach in the river at Pathargarh, Panipat, led to a decrease in the level of water heading towards New Delhi, officials said.
“There has been no further release from the Tajewala water works and, as per the CWC forecast, the water level is still showing a rising trend. It may reach 206.35 metres at the Old Yamuna Bridge by 6 am on Saturday,” VPS Tomar, Chief Engineer of the Delhi government’s Flood Control Department, told Newsline.
While the rains have receded in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand for the time being, any further rainfall upstream could result in flooding of low-lying areas in the city, such as Usmanpur, Garhi Mandu and Batla House. Most of the areas prone to flooding were evacuated when the Yamuna rose in August-end. People from these areas have been living in camps ever since.
While 6.07 lakh cusecs of water crossed the Hathnikund barrage on Wednesday, another 1 lakh cusecs were added to the flow from the Som river during the passage of the Yamuna to the Capital.
Sluice gates of drains opening into the Yamuna have been closed to prevent any flooding in the city due to backflow. Civic authorities have assured the public that this will not lead to overflowing of the city’s drains, as pumps are working round the clock to flush out excess water.
“The department is geared up and working 24/7 to keep the situation under control. Big pumps have been installed at major drains to continuously pump out water,” Tomar said.
While traffic was diverted from the Ring Road to Seelampur and Seemapuri due to the shutting down of Old Yamuna Bridge, seven trains were cancelled, 28 were short-terminated, and 24 had to be diverted.
A breach in the Yamuna, passing through Panipat in Haryana, has diverted the flow of water — abating fears of massive flooding in the national capital.
With the water level rising since Thursday evening to reach 206.03 metres — 1.2 metres above the danger mark — by the same time on Friday, Railway authorities were forced to close the Old Yamuna Bridge.
The civic authorities, however, have made it clear that there is no chance of flood waters reaching city areas, and people living in low-lying areas had been evacuated by August-end itself.
“There is no need to worry. Everything is in place and the administration is fully equipped to handle any eventuality. I was informed earlier today that some breaches have taken place in canals outside Delhi, due to which the water flowing through them has also deviated to other areas,” Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said.
The Central Water Commission had sounded the flood alarm after the water level reached 231.96 metres at Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh at 7 am — indicating a rising trend. The flood warning was, however, brought down to moderate as the water level fell to 231.90 metres at about 2 pm, 1.05 metres above the danger mark.
A breach in the river at Pathargarh, Panipat, led to a decrease in the level of water heading towards New Delhi, officials said.
“There has been no further release from the Tajewala water works and, as per the CWC forecast, the water level is still showing a rising trend. It may reach 206.35 metres at the Old Yamuna Bridge by 6 am on Saturday,” VPS Tomar, Chief Engineer of the Delhi government’s Flood Control Department, told Newsline.
While the rains have receded in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand for the time being, any further rainfall upstream could result in flooding of low-lying areas in the city, such as Usmanpur, Garhi Mandu and Batla House. Most of the areas prone to flooding were evacuated when the Yamuna rose in August-end. People from these areas have been living in camps ever since.
While 6.07 lakh cusecs of water crossed the Hathnikund barrage on Wednesday, another 1 lakh cusecs were added to the flow from the Som river during the passage of the Yamuna to the Capital.
Sluice gates of drains opening into the Yamuna have been closed to prevent any flooding in the city due to backflow. Civic authorities have assured the public that this will not lead to overflowing of the city’s drains, as pumps are working round the clock to flush out excess water.
“The department is geared up and working 24/7 to keep the situation under control. Big pumps have been installed at major drains to continuously pump out water,” Tomar said.
While traffic was diverted from the Ring Road to Seelampur and Seemapuri due to the shutting down of Old Yamuna Bridge, seven trains were cancelled, 28 were short-terminated, and 24 had to be diverted.
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.
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.
Wide breach in Yamuna floods Panipat villages (Hindu 11 September 2010)
CHANDIGARH: Six villages -- Pathergarh, Sonali Kalan, Samsabad, Dhamshali and Babain -- in Panipat district of Haryana have been affected by floods due to a 80-feet breach in the Yamuna at Pathergarh.
Confirming this on Friday, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary (Irrigation) S.S. Dhillon said crops over an area of 2,500 acres had been affected due to the breach. JCB machines have been pressed into service for rescue work in Panipat.
While reiterating Haryana's stand on Hathni Kund being a barrage and not a dam, he asserted that the State had not released any water as was being mentioned in some quarters. Rather, the water from the barrage “flows down with the natural flow''.
He further said that the water had receded considerably in the Yamuna. Giving figures, he said that 7.07 lakh cusecs of water was flowing in Hathni Kund on September 8 which came down to 2.64 lakh cusecs on September 9 and was pegged at 74,000 cusecs on Friday afternoon and is expected to reduce further.
Meanwhile, an official spokesman said the Yamuna had caused widespread flooding due to heavy rain in its catchment area and its tributaries on September 7 and 8. Accordingly, all the villages falling along the river in the State were warned about the “flood threat''.
He further disclosed that the discharge in the Yamuna had increased abruptly from 30,000 cusecs on September 7 to 330,000 cusecs on September 8 which further increased to a peak discharge of 6,07,000 cusecs at Hathni Kund Barrage.
Due to heavy rain in Bilaspur and Chhachhrauli area of Yamunanagar district, an additional 100,000 cusecs was received in the Somb and Pathrala rivers which further added to the flow in the Yamuna. Accordingly, peak discharge in the Yamuna was 707,000 cusecs on September 8.
About 97 villages in Sadhaura, Bilaspur, Chachrauli and Radaur blocks are flood-affected and agricultural land in 22 villages is submerged in water.
Even though flood waters of the Yamuna spilled into 12 villages in Karnal district, no damage was reported from the abadi area. He further said that the Palwal district authorities had evacuated two villages-- Indra Nagar and Mobali Pur -- and shifted the people to safe places.
The Sonepat and Panipat district authorities have also taken precautionary measures to tackle any situation.
Confirming this on Friday, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary (Irrigation) S.S. Dhillon said crops over an area of 2,500 acres had been affected due to the breach. JCB machines have been pressed into service for rescue work in Panipat.
While reiterating Haryana's stand on Hathni Kund being a barrage and not a dam, he asserted that the State had not released any water as was being mentioned in some quarters. Rather, the water from the barrage “flows down with the natural flow''.
He further said that the water had receded considerably in the Yamuna. Giving figures, he said that 7.07 lakh cusecs of water was flowing in Hathni Kund on September 8 which came down to 2.64 lakh cusecs on September 9 and was pegged at 74,000 cusecs on Friday afternoon and is expected to reduce further.
Meanwhile, an official spokesman said the Yamuna had caused widespread flooding due to heavy rain in its catchment area and its tributaries on September 7 and 8. Accordingly, all the villages falling along the river in the State were warned about the “flood threat''.
He further disclosed that the discharge in the Yamuna had increased abruptly from 30,000 cusecs on September 7 to 330,000 cusecs on September 8 which further increased to a peak discharge of 6,07,000 cusecs at Hathni Kund Barrage.
Due to heavy rain in Bilaspur and Chhachhrauli area of Yamunanagar district, an additional 100,000 cusecs was received in the Somb and Pathrala rivers which further added to the flow in the Yamuna. Accordingly, peak discharge in the Yamuna was 707,000 cusecs on September 8.
About 97 villages in Sadhaura, Bilaspur, Chachrauli and Radaur blocks are flood-affected and agricultural land in 22 villages is submerged in water.
Even though flood waters of the Yamuna spilled into 12 villages in Karnal district, no damage was reported from the abadi area. He further said that the Palwal district authorities had evacuated two villages-- Indra Nagar and Mobali Pur -- and shifted the people to safe places.
The Sonepat and Panipat district authorities have also taken precautionary measures to tackle any situation.
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