August 19, 2025

The Yamuna river is playing a teasing game with Delhi! On Tuesday morning at 8 am, the water level at the key Old Railway Bridge hit 205.79 metres – just a whisker away from the 206-metre evacuation mark. This rising tide got stormy since Monday afternoon, when the water first crossed the danger mark of 205.33 metres to reach 205.55 metres. The river hasn’t stopped climbing since then. Officials are on high alert. They’re watching every drop carefully and have asked all departments to gear up for possible flood-like scenes. The city’s protector, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, is soon expected to visit the low-lying river areas. She plans to check flood readiness and ensure everyone stays safe. Why is the Yamuna swelling so fast? An official from the central flood room spilled the beans: “The Yamuna water level is rising mostly due to high volumes of water released from the Wazirabad and Hathnikund barrages every hour.” In fact, Hathnikund barrage is pouring about 38,361 cusecs of water and Wazirabad adds a staggering 68,230 cusecs each hour into the river. The Old Railway Bridge isn’t just a bridge; it’s Delhi’s watchtower to keep track of how the river flows and if any flood trouble brews. For Delhi, the warning mark is set at 204.50 metres, danger at 205.33 metres, and evacuation begins at 206 metres. Here’s a tricky fact: Water released from the barrages takes roughly 48 to 50 hours to reach Delhi. So even smaller water flows upstream can push the river level dangerously close to warning marks in the city. Delhi folks, keep your eyes open and stay prepared – the Yamuna is making its presence felt like never before!

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Tags: Yamuna river, Delhi flood, Water level rise, Hathnikund barrage, Wazirabad barrage, Flood preparedness,