Rain fury: Yamuna crosses danger mark sooner than expected; red and orange alerts in Himachal

The Central Water Commission said on Tuesday that the water level in Yamuna River has crossed the danger level of 205.33 metres. The level, as of Tuesday morning, is at 206. 24 meters.

"The water level in Yamuna River crosses the danger mark of 205.33 metres, touching 206.24 metres; the high flood level is--207.49 metres," Central Water Commission said.

The rise in water level happened sooner than expected after Haryana released more water into the river from the Hathnikund barrage in Yamunanagar. Flood Control Department officials estimate around 2,15,677 cusecs water was discharged through the Hathnikund barrage at 3 pm on Monday.

It is expected that the river will rise to 206.65 metres by Tuesday afternoon before gradually subsiding. The water level in Yamuna was on the rise at Vikasnagar, in Uttarakhand's Dehradun too due to continuous rainfall.  

Meanwhile, the evacuation of residents from low-lying areas began on Monday night. "Only those living in the affected areas have been shifted to camps on higher grounds," an official from East Delhi district told PTI.

Stating that the Delhi administration is on alert mode, Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that the government is fully prepared to control the situation. "As the water will go above 206 metres, we will start shifting people, living on the banks. The process of taking them safely to the relief camp will be started. Earlier we were feeling that the water level would cross 205 meters on July 11, but it has crossed 205 meters today itself because more water is being released from Haryana," Bharadwaj told ANI.

However, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had ruled out a flood-like situation in Delhi. The Delhi government has set up 16 control rooms to monitor the flood-prone areas and the water level of the Yamuna. 

The Yamuna river system's catchment covers parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.

Delhi witnessed its highest rainfall (153 mm) in a single day in July since 1982 in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am on Sunday. The city received an additional 107 mm of rainfall in the subsequent 24 hours, exacerbating the situation.  

Red, Orange alert

Northwest India continues to witness incessant rainfall with red and orange alerts still in place in Himachal Pradesh. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued "red" and "orange" alerts for several districts of the hill state for the next 24 hours. 

"A red alert has been issued for very heavy rainfall in Solan, Shimla, Sirmaur, Kullu, Mandi, Kinnaur, and Lahaul for the next 24 hours. Additionally, an orange alert has been issued in Una, Hamirpur, Kangra, and Chamba. A flash flood warning has been issued for Mandi, Kinnaur, and Lahaul-Spiti for the next 24 hours," ANI quoted senior IMD Scientist Sandeep Kumar Sharma on Monday.

The flood fury in the hilly state had claimed 18 lives over the past two days, throwing life out of gear. Over 300 tourists and local people are still stranded in Chandertal, Pagal Nallah and other places in Lahaul and Spiti. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said efforts are on to rescue the stranded people, and they could be airlifted as the weather clears. Power and water supply have been snapped in several areas.

The flash floods have also affected the functioning of most hydropower projects due to silt accumulation.

Sukhu added that an assessment of loss is underway and it is estimated to be in the range of Rs 3,000-Rs. 4000 crore, according to a government statement. Preliminary estimates by the State Emergency Operation Centre, however, pegged the loss at Rs 785 crore. 

(With inputs from PTI)