Delhi floods: Water level of Yamuna recedes to 207.38 metres, more rain predicted

After wreaking havoc on Delhiites for the last few days, the raging Yamuna finally showed some signs of calmness on Saturday. The water level of the river came down to 207.38 metres(at 12:00 PM IST) from 208.40 metres a day earlier, which led to the water level at the Old Railway Bridge gradually recede. However, the river was still flowing above the danger mark of 205.33 metres.

Visuals from Saturday morning showed key areas in Delhi—ITO, Shanti Van area, the Income Tax office—and several neighbourhoods still submerged under water.

Thanks to receding water levels, the water treatment plant at Okhla was opened on Friday after being shut down on Thursday.

Crisis to continue

While the receding water levels may bring some much-needed respite to dwellers of Delhi, the situation could deteriorate if the weather forecasts predicting more rain in the capital city and its surrounding catchment areas turn out to be accurate.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted moderate rainfall in the city over the next two days, while stating that Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh may experience "heavy to very heavy" rainfall in the next five days. This raises concerns about the water level in the river increasing due to the excessive rain.

If Delhi receives more rainfall, experts warn that stormwater may overflow and take longer than usual to drain out. This could lead to waterlogging, further exacerbating the situation.

Rescue operations underway

According to PTI, a total of 25,478 individuals, along with dogs and cows, have been rescued so far, with 16 teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) deployed in flood-affected areas of Delhi. The rescue operations are ongoing, particularly on roads that have transformed into small rivers.

In a separate incident, authorities from the Delhi Police successfully rescued over 60 students from a blind school located in Kingsway Camp, which had been flooded. The NDRF teams also rescued several dogs and cows at an animal shelter in Mayur Vihar.

Assam also hit by floods

Not just Delhi, the Indian northeastern state of Assam is also grappling with massive floods, exacerbated by the release of water from Bhutan’s Kurichhu dam. This has inundated at least 17 districts of the state and affected more than 67,000 people.

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