Delhi: Yamuna swells further, Old Railway Bridge shut for train traffic

The Yamuna in Delhi flowed more than a metre above the danger mark of 20533 metres on Monday morning with authorities suspending the movement of trains on the Old Railway Bridge ORBThe water level of the river at the ORB has been hovering around the danger mark after reaching an alltime high of 20866 metres on July 13It breached the danger mark again on Sunday following a surge in the discharge from the Hathnikund barrage into the river after heavy rain in parts of Uttarakhand and Himachal PradeshA railway official said the movement of trains on the ORB has been suspended due to the increase in the water level of the YamunaThe route between Delhi and Shahdara will remain suspended and trains will be diverted via New Delhi the official saidThe increase in the rivers water level is expected to impact the ongoing reliefandrehabilitation work in the floodaffected lowlying areas of the capital officials saidAccording to the Central Water Commissions CWC data the water level rose from 20502 metres at 10 pm on Saturday to 20657 metres at 3 am on Monday before it started dropping againThe water level reached 20654 metres at 8 am and is expected to dip to 20642 metres by 2 pmThe India Meteorological Department IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rain in parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand till July 25According to the CWC data the flow rate at the Yamunanagarlocated Hathnikund barrage crossed the one lakhmark at 9 am on Saturday and oscillated between two lakh and 25 lakh cusecs between 10 am and 5 pmDelhi irrigation and flood control department officials said the heavy rain in the upstream areas of the river will impact the rehabilitation of the affected families in the inundated lowlying areas of the capital and they may have to stay at relief camps for a longer periodIt could also impact Delhis water supply which remained affected for four or five days in midJuly due to the inundation of a pump house at WazirabadThe pump house supplies raw water to the Wazirabad Chandrawal and Okhla treatment plants which together account for around 25 per cent of the citys supplyDelhi grappled with unprecedented waterlogging and floods this monthInitially a downpour caused intense waterlogging on July 8 and 9 with the city receiving 125 per cent of its monthly rainfall quota in just two daysSubsequently heavy rain in the upper catchment areas of the Yamuna including in Himachal Pradesh Uttarakhand and Haryana led to the river swelling to record levelsAt 20866 metres on July 13 the Yamuna surpassed its previous record of 20749 metres set in September 1978 by a significant margin It breached embankments and penetrated deeper into the city than it has in more than four decadesThe consequences of the floods have been devastating with more than 27000 people evacuated from their homes The losses incurred in terms of property businesses and earnings have run into croresExperts attribute the unprecedented flooding in Delhi to encroachment on the river floodplain extreme rainfall within a short span of time and silt accumulation that has raised the river bedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever