Yamuna Continues To Rise In Delhi, 1000 Families Evacuated

New Delhi: Over 1,000 families from low-lying areas along the Yamuna had been evacuated till Sunday morning as the river continued to flow above the danger mark in New Delhi.

The Delhi government deployed boats and set up tents for the evacuation.

The level of the river rose to 205.46 meters on Sunday after Haryana released water from the Hathnikund Barrage amid continuous rain in the region. The danger mark is 204. 83 m. Officials expect the river to rise to 206.60 meters by July 31.

Haryana had released six lakh cusecs of water at 6 pm on Saturday.

The water discharged from Hathnikund barrage, which provides drinking water to New Delhi, normally takes 72 hours to reach the city.

“More water is being released from the barrage every hour, which will have an impact on the water level of the river here. We are keeping a close watch on the situation,” a Flood and Control Department official told to IANS.

“We have established over 750 tents for about 1,000 families in East zone alone. The arrangements for their food have also been made. We are shifting the people living on the river bed to the nearest highland,” Nodal officer (Preet Vihar) Arun Gupta said.

Boats have been deployed to tackle any unwanted situation, he said, adding, quick response teams have also been activated.

The evacuation began on Saturday following a sharp rise in the river level.

The Delhi government also requested the Army to be on standby for any emergency.