Yamuna water level recedes below warning mark in Delhi

The water level of the Yamuna in Delhi dropped below the warning mark of 204.5 metres on Wednesday, the first time after the river breached the threshold on July 9 following heavy rains in the capital and the upper catchment areas.

According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), the water level of the Yamuna at the Old Railway Bridge (ORB) stood at 204.26 metres at 8 am.

Delhi has grappled with unprecedented waterlogging and floods this month.

Initially, a downpour caused intense waterlogging on July 8 and 9, with the city receiving 125 per cent of its monthly rainfall quota in just two days.

Subsequently, heavy rain in the river's upper catchment areas, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana, led to the Yamuna swelling to record levels.

At 208.66 metres on July 13, the Yamuna surpassed its previous record of 207.49 metres set in September 1978. It breached embankments and penetrated deeper into the city than it has in more than four decades.

The consequences of the floods have been devastating with more than 27,000 people evacuated from their homes. The losses incurred in terms of property, businesses and earnings have run into crores of rupees.

Experts attributed the unprecedented flooding in Delhi to encroachment on the river floodplain, extreme rainfall within a short span of time and silt accumulation that has raised the riverbed.