High water level in Hathnikund barrage may cause minor flooding of Yamuna
NEW DELHI: A minor to heavy flood is expected in the Yamuna, after the release of 1,35,000 cusec of water at Hathnikund barrage in Haryana's Yamuna Nagar district on Thursday morning, which would reach the Capital in 48 hrs, warned environmental experts.
Sources said that the water level was barely 67,757 cusecs when the first gauge of the day was taken at 6 am on Thursday.
It rose to 75,595 cusecs at 7 am, 1,31,411 cusecs at 8 am, and the highest level was recorded as 1,36,785 at 9 am.
The water level came down to 1,25,953 cusecs at 10 am and remained at this level till 11 am. But it came down to 1,11,900 cusecs at 12 pm and receded to 92,329 cusecs at 1 pm.
"Water level up to 70,000 cusecs at Hathnikund Barrage is considered normal. A level between 70,000 to 1.25 lakh cusec is considered low floods; between 1.25 lakh to 2.5 lakh cusecs is considered medium floods, and water level above 2.5 is considered high floods," said an official.
Residents of villages along the Yamuna river have been advised not to go near the river or let their animals venture near it, a Haryana government official said.
He said officials of various departments in Yamuna Nagar, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat, and Sonipat districts of Haryana have sounded the alert.
The water level at the Hathnikund barrage – which provides drinking water to New Delhi – along the Haryana-Uttarakhand border had also risen on Thursday morning.
The Yamuna river passes through Yamuna Nagar, Karnal and Panipat districts in Haryana, before entering New Delhi.
Gates of the Western Yamuna Canal (WYC) and Eastern Yamuna Canal (EYC) were closed to let the entire water flow downstream.
Sources said it has always been a practice to close WYC and EYC, once the water level at Hathnikund barrage exceeds 70,000 cusecs level, as this can damage the gates of the canals.
The water discharge experiences at Hathnikund barrage normally takes 72 hours to reach Delhi. However, sources said this would not cause any flood situation in the national Capital.
