Why did Delhi roads turned into rivers? The why and how of Delhi floods
Such floods are usually not associated with a metro like Delhi where people expect authorities to be in better control, it being the national capital. Yet floods took Delhi unawares. While a political blame game is on between the AAP and the BJP, below is a brief analysis of why Delhi was suddenly submerged.What happened at Hathnikund barrage The Hathnikund barrage in Haryana's Yamunanagar, 180 km from Delhi, controls the flow of Yamuna towards Delhi.
The water flow rose following heavy rain in the river's catchment area in Himachal and Uttarakhand. When a huge volume of water began to reach the barrage, as per the standard operating procedures, all 18 barrage floodgates were opened from June 9. But the flow gradually increased from 70,000 cusecs to a maximum of 3.5 lakh cusecs on July 11.
Sudden heavy rainfall in Delhi-NCR in recent days compounded the problem. Due to incessant rains in the plains in Haryana and UP and the NCR region too, several tributaries and catchment areas in UP's Saharanpur, Baghpat, Shamli and Noida contributed to the already overflowing Yamuna. Waters in a swollen Yamuna gathered speed.
The water released from the Hathnikund barrage took less time to reach Delhi compared to previous years. While a massive amount of rainwater entered the river and sped ahead, it turned into a flood in Delhi due to silt in the river which obstructs the flow as well as encroachments on the banks that narrow the river area, leaving less space for the water to flow.Local obstructions to the Yamuna in Delhi The Hathnikund barrage is not the only cause of Delhi's floods. The Yamuna is obstructed in Delhi due to many factors which make it prone to flooding.
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