Yamuna in spate, crosses danger mark in Delhi

New Delhi, Sep 25 (IANS) The Yamuna river here is flowing above the danger level following release of water from Haryana’s Hathnikund barrage in the wake of heavy rains and flash floods in parts of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.

The states have witnessed downpours in the last few days due to which the water level in the rivers have increased.

The warning level mark of the Yamuna is 204 metres and the danger level mark is 204.83 metres.

Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash has called an emergency meeting on Tuesday afternoon to decide the steps to deal with exigencies.

"The water level of river Yamuna at Delhi Railway Bridge at 11 a.m. was 205.12 meters," a Flood and Control Department official told IANS.

"The water is showing a rising trend and is expected to go up as Delhi is witnessing rains and more water is being released every hour from the barrage," he added.

The water discharged from Hathnikund barrage, which provides drinking water to the national capital, normally takes 72 hours to reach the city, he said.

Delhi had witnessed the worst ever floods in 1978 when the river’s level touched a record 207.49 meters.