Despite Delhi receiving heavy rainfall in the past few days, the life line of the city Yamuna needs some more days of heavy downpour to get fully recharged. The experts in the city are keeping their fingers crossed, for the wetland developed in the Yamuna Biodiversity Park is yet to be fully recharged.
'The water level in the river is just about touching the river bed. When the water level rises it enters into the wetland and fully recharges it,' said Faiyaz A Khudsar, the scientist-in-charge of the Yamuna Biodiversity Park. The park, situated in Wazirabad, has a wetland with a capacity to hold 5,000 million gallon litres of water. 'There are several natural wetlands in the flood plain of the river which act as nursery of aquatic plants and animals, thus enriching the biodiversity along the river,' added Khudsar. The flood in the Yamuna is caused by the release of large amount of water into the river from Hathni Kund dam in Yamuna Nagar in Haryana.
'The river water starts entering in the wetland of the Yamuna Biodiversity Park at around 204 metres of water level in the river and get almost fully recharged at 205 metres and above which is called medium flood in the city,' said Prof. C R Babu, eminent ecologist at the University of Delhi. 'In the mild flood situation in the city almost all the wetlands along with the flood plain of the river get recharged,' he added. He is heading a joint project, Yamuna Biodiversity Park, Phase-II, of Delhi Development Authority and the University of Delhi, which has planned to de-silt and develop natural wetlands along the river flood plain and plant mosaic grasslands to regulate flow of water during flood.
These grasses, called saccharm or Elephant Grass, help the silt in the water to settle, thus also help in stabilising the flood plain and helping in recharge of ground water. The Yamuna flood plain, which is spread around 700 metres to three kilometres on either side of the river, has a large number of natural wetlands which are near extinct due to dumping of waste and silt in the river. The wetlands are supersaturated during the flood and store a large quantity of water which can be tapped by tube-wells.
According to an officer of flood department it needs around 100 mm rain within 24 hours in upper Yamuna region to make a flood-like situation in the city. 'The water in Yamuna is highly regulated through dams and its level more affected by rain in the upper Yamuna region and in the catchment of its tributaries,' said the official. Presently the river is flowing at 203.68 metres, which is 1.15 metres below the danger mark. The maximum water level in the city in this monsoon season was 203.96 metres on 6 August. Haryana released 45,000 cusecs of water in the river on Wednesday afternoon which will increase the water level in the city at Wazirabad up to 204 metres in the wee hours on Friday but it depends on the flood department as how much water they release to flow in the stretch of the river passing through city.
'The water level in the river is just about touching the river bed. When the water level rises it enters into the wetland and fully recharges it,' said Faiyaz A Khudsar, the scientist-in-charge of the Yamuna Biodiversity Park. The park, situated in Wazirabad, has a wetland with a capacity to hold 5,000 million gallon litres of water. 'There are several natural wetlands in the flood plain of the river which act as nursery of aquatic plants and animals, thus enriching the biodiversity along the river,' added Khudsar. The flood in the Yamuna is caused by the release of large amount of water into the river from Hathni Kund dam in Yamuna Nagar in Haryana.
'The river water starts entering in the wetland of the Yamuna Biodiversity Park at around 204 metres of water level in the river and get almost fully recharged at 205 metres and above which is called medium flood in the city,' said Prof. C R Babu, eminent ecologist at the University of Delhi. 'In the mild flood situation in the city almost all the wetlands along with the flood plain of the river get recharged,' he added. He is heading a joint project, Yamuna Biodiversity Park, Phase-II, of Delhi Development Authority and the University of Delhi, which has planned to de-silt and develop natural wetlands along the river flood plain and plant mosaic grasslands to regulate flow of water during flood.
These grasses, called saccharm or Elephant Grass, help the silt in the water to settle, thus also help in stabilising the flood plain and helping in recharge of ground water. The Yamuna flood plain, which is spread around 700 metres to three kilometres on either side of the river, has a large number of natural wetlands which are near extinct due to dumping of waste and silt in the river. The wetlands are supersaturated during the flood and store a large quantity of water which can be tapped by tube-wells.
According to an officer of flood department it needs around 100 mm rain within 24 hours in upper Yamuna region to make a flood-like situation in the city. 'The water in Yamuna is highly regulated through dams and its level more affected by rain in the upper Yamuna region and in the catchment of its tributaries,' said the official. Presently the river is flowing at 203.68 metres, which is 1.15 metres below the danger mark. The maximum water level in the city in this monsoon season was 203.96 metres on 6 August. Haryana released 45,000 cusecs of water in the river on Wednesday afternoon which will increase the water level in the city at Wazirabad up to 204 metres in the wee hours on Friday but it depends on the flood department as how much water they release to flow in the stretch of the river passing through city.