Yamuna water level: 'Not good news for Delhi', says CM Arvind Kejriwal; urges Centre to intervene

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Arvind Kejriwal has written a letter to Central Water Commission, a government body to take urgent measures to mitigate the imminent crisis. Taking to Twitter, Kejriwal wrote, "Central Water Commission predicts 207.72 meter water level in Yamuna tonight. Not good news for Delhi.

There have been no rains in Delhi last 2 days, however, levels of Yamuna are rising due to abnormally high volumes of water being released by Haryana at Hathnikund barrage. Urge Centre to intervene and ensure that levels in Yamuna don’t rise further". However, yesterday Kejriwal said a flood-like situation is unlikely in the city and his government is prepared to tackle any eventuality.

According to the CWC, the flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage increased to 3,59,760 cusecs at 11 am on Tuesday, the highest in the last three days. It remained above the 2 lakh cusec mark till Wednesday morning. Normally, the flow rate at the barrage is 352 cusecs, but heavy rainfall in the catchment areas increases the discharge.

One cusec is equivalent to 28.32 litres per second. The water from the barrage takes around two to three days to reach Delhi. On Wednesday, the Yamuna swelled to 207.55 metres, breaching its all-time record of 207.49 metres set in 1978.

The Central Water Commission's (CWC) flood-monitoring portal mentioned that the water level at the Old Railway Bridge crossed the 207-metre mark at 4 am, the first time since 2013, and rose to 207.55 metres by 1 pm. The river is likely to rise further, an official of the irrigation and flood control department said. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police imposed section 144 CrPC in flood-prone areas of the national capital today.