Flood warning issued by Delhi, rescue boats on standby
Flood warning issued by Delhi, rescue boats on standby The Delhi government issued its ‘first’ flood warning here on Friday after Haryana released around 1.3 lakh cusecs of water in the Yamuna on Thursday morning. Rescue boats have been kept on standby and officers of the irrigation and flood control department have been directed to keep a vigil on low-lying areas. “At least 15,000-20,000 families live in slums on the floodplain. If the water level increases, people in low-lying areas in north Delhi may have to be asked to move to higher grounds,” said an official. “The Haryana government released 1.36 lakh cusecs of water on Thursday. The water would take at least 48 hours to reach Delhi. We have issued a first warning,” the officer said. 1.31 lakh cusecs of water was released at 8 am on Thursday, 1.36 lakh cusecs at 9 am and 1.25 lakh around 10 am by Haryana. When the third warning is issued, people in extremely low-lying areas are advised to shift. “The water level in the Yamuna (at old Iron Bridge) is already flowing near the danger mark. While the present level is 203.4 m, the warning level is 204 m. The danger level is 204.8 m,” said a senior official. In 1978, the water level touched 207.49 m – the highest ever. In 2013, when Haryana had released around eight lakh cusecs, the water touched 207.32 m. “This water would not have any effect on the city but shanties and farmlands on the river banks, particularly in very low-lying areas such as Garhi Mandu, Usmanpur and Sonia Vihar, could be affected,” said an official. “It takes at least two to three lakh cusecs to be released to fill up the entire floodplain. The flood waters hardly enter the city. Only the slum people on the floodplains face the risk,” said Diwan Singh, an activist and convenor of Natural Heritage First. -PTC News
