New Delhi: The water level in Yamuna river is rising again after falling for four days. At 11 am today, it was 205.76 meters, up from 205.52 at 10 pm last night. It is expected to further cross 206 meters by the end of the day, remaining above the danger mark of 205.33 metres for close to a week now.
The rising water level caused flooding in Delhi last week and triggered a joint effort by the Army, Navy, and Delhi administration to stop water from flooding key areas of Delhi.
Delhi minister Atishi said rainfall in some areas of neighbouring Haryana is causing the slight increase in the water level. Quoting the Central Water Commission, she said they expect the level to reach 206.10 meters by tonight. Saying people in Delhi aren’t at danger because of it, she appealed to people staying at relief shelters not to return home till the water level is below the danger mark.
All Delhi government departments have been instructed to constantly monitor the situation in the aftermath of flooding in the national capital, city Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said earlier today. He also said that cases of conjunctivitis and skin allergy are mostly being reported from relief camps set up in the wake of flooding in various parts of Delhi.
Mr Bharadwaj said east Delhi and northeast Delhi have largely been impacted due to the floods.
“After flooding, there is a fear of cases of vector-borne disease like dengue, chikungunya and malaria rising. But that trend is not being seen at the moment. Cases of conjunctivitis and skin allergy are mostly being reported from relief camps,” he told reporters.
Yamuna river has been in spate for the last one week, swelling to 207.71 metres on Wednesday, breaching its all-time record of 207.49 metres set in 1978, inundating several key areas in Delhi, after submerging the flood plains.
After breaching the 45-year record, water levels in the Yamuna in Delhi has come down to 207.98 metres at 11 pm on Friday, from 208.66 metres by 7 pm on Thursday, three metres above the danger mark of 205.33 metres.