Yamuna River continues to flow above danger mark in Delhi, evacuation efforts intensified

As the Yamuna River continued to flow above the danger mark in Delhi, officials intensified their evacuation efforts.

As the Yamuna River continued to flow above the danger mark of 205.33 metre in Delhi on Saturday, officials intensified their efforts to evacuate people from vulnerable areas. A flood alert has also been issued.

Before breaching the danger level, the Yamuna River started flowing precariously close to the warning level of 204.5 metre in Delhi on Friday after heavy rains in the upper catchment areas two days ago, authorities said.The administration, irrigation, and flood control departments had deployed 34 boats and mobile pumps in anticipation of flooding in low-lying areas.

ALSO READ | Banda boat tragedy: 3 bodies recovered, 17 people still missingAccording to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), heavy to very heavy rainfall occurred at a few places in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday. The administration is keeping a close watch on the situation as more rain is expected in the region.The flood control room reported a discharge rate of around 2.21 lakh cusecs from the Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana's Yamunanagar district at 3 pm on Thursday and 1.55 lakh cusecs later.Normally, the flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage is 352 cusec, but the discharge increased after heavy rainfall in catchment areas.

One cusec is equivalent to 28.32 litre per second. The water discharged from the barrage normally takes two-three days to reach the capital.

The swelling of the river has triggered several incidents, including the Banda boat tragedy where a boat carrying more than three dozen people and vehicles capsised in Uttar Pradesh's Banda, claiming at least 11 lives.