Yamuna recedes below danger mark in Delhi; CM Kejriwal urges people to avoid river banks

New Delhi: The water level in the Yamuna receded below the danger mark of 205.33 metres in Delhi on Sunday and is likely to dip further even as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to people to avoid going towards the river banks.

The flood control room said the water level dipped from 205.88 metres at 8 pm on Saturday to 204.83 metres at 8 am on Sunday, and further to 204.65 metres at 12 noon.

The river had breached the danger mark of 205.33 metres around 4 pm on Friday following heavy rain in the upper catchment areas, prompting authorities to evacuate around 7,000 people from low-lying areas. The water level fell below the danger mark around 2 am on Saturday.

CM Kejriwal appealed to people to avoid going towards the banks of the river.

"We have made adequate arrangements for the people living near Yamuna. Cooperate with the government and administration. We are monitoring the situation and are ready to deal with any situation," he tweeted.

Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot said: "In view of the rising water level of Yamuna, all the agencies concerned have been put on high alert. There is an appeal to the people to stay away from the river. We are monitoring the situation under the leadership of CM Arvind Kejriwal. Camps have been set up for the displaced, where necessary arrangements have been made for their accommodation and food."

A flood alert is declared in Delhi when the discharge rate from the Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana's Yamuna Nagar crosses the one lakh-cusecs mark. People living near the floodplains and in flood-prone areas are evacuated then.

"Around 37,000 people who live in Yamuna floodplains and low-lying areas in Delhi are considered vulnerable to flooding.

"People evacuated from low-lying areas in the floodplains have been shifted to temporary structures like tents and permanent buildings like schools in safer areas," an official said.

Principal Secretary Revenue Khilli Ram Meena said the overflowing Yamuna affected low-lying areas near the river in northeast, east and southeast Delhi and around 7,000 people had been shifted to higher ground.

Daya Ram, 60, has been doing farming for the last 20 years. He told Millennium Post that when the water started entering our farms we immediately started evacuating. "I have lost all my income and belongings. Crops are now destroyed and I have lost my house too. I don't know how I am going to manage and feed my children's and family".

with inputs from Jagisha Arora