Swollen Yamuna recedes slowly, concerns remain amid rain forecast

Yamuna's water level declines slowly, still over two metres above danger mark on July 15. Rain in Delhi & upper catchment areas could worsen situation. CWC's portal shows Yamuna water level declined to 207.62m by 7am on July 15. Flow rate from Hathnikund Barrage decreasing. IMD predicts moderate rain in Delhi & heavy rain in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh & UP.

After wreaking havoc on lives and livelihoods in parts of Delhi close to it, the swollen Yamuna on Saturday, July 15 morning followed a downward trend, albeit at a slow pace of a few centimetres per hour.

However, it is still flowing over two metres above the danger mark of 205.33 metres.

The situation could worsen if weather predictions of more rain in the capital and upper catchment areas come true.

According to the Central Water Commission's flood-monitoring portal, the Yamuna water level declined to 207.62 metres by 7 am on July 15 from its peak of 208.66 metres at 8 pm on July 13.

With the flow rate from the Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana's Yamunanagar decreasing over the past two days, further decline is expected.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), however, anticipated moderate rain in the city over the next two days and "heavy to very heavy" rainfall over Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh during the next five days, raising concern about a rise in the water level in the river.

In the case of more rain in Delhi, experts said, stormwater may overflow and take longer than usual to drain out. Waterlogging could compound the situation further.