Yamuna continues to flow near warning mark

New Delhi, Aug 29: The Yamuna was flowing precariously close to the warning mark in Delhi on Saturday morning, but the water level is expected to recede, officials said.

"The water level was recorded at 204.23 meters at the Old Railway Bridge at 10 am. It was 204.41 meters at 5 pm on Friday and 203.77 metres at 10 am on Thursday," an official of the irrigation and flood control department said.

Water was being released into the Yamuna at the rate of 7.173 cusec at 8 am from the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana's Yamunanagar district. The flow rate was 13,871 cusec cusec at 4 pm on Friday, the maximum in the last 24 hours.

"The flow rate has remained between 10,000 cusec to 25,000 cusec over the last two days, which is not very high," the official said.

One cusec is equivalent to 28.32 litre per second.

The water discharged from the barrage which provides drinking water to Delhi normally takes two-three days to reach the capital.

The water level rose on Friday due to rains in Delhi and neighbouring areas, the official said.

The East Delhi district administration has deployed 24 boats, each with two divers, to monitor the situation.

More boats and teams of divers are on standby.

The river had swelled to 204.38 metres on Monday, which was just a metre below the danger mark of 205.33 metres.

Normally, the flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage is 352 cusec, but the discharge is increased after heavy rainfall in catchment areas.

Last year, the flow rate had peaked to 8.28 lakh cusec on August 18-19, and the water level of the Yamuna had hit the 206.60 metre-mark, breaching the danger mark of 205.33 metres.

The Delhi government had to launch evacuation and relief operations after the overflowing river submerged many low-lying areas.

In 1978, the river had swelled to the all-time record water level of 207.49 metres.

In 2013, it had risen to 207.32 metres.