The Yamuna River is close to the warning mark as the water level reached 204.14 m on Wednesday evening, as per the Central Water Commission. While the warning threshold is 204.5 m, the danger level stands at 205.33 m. In the recent past, the highest flood level recorded in the Yamuna was 208.66 m at the Old Railway Bridge monitoring station during the floods in the capital city in 2023.
The Yamuna River has been steadily rising in its water level since July 30, when the level stood around 202 m. According to the FloodHub forecasting system, the water level is expected to further rise by 10 to 15 cm by Thursday evening.
Delhi saw more than average rainfall of 260 mm, against a normal of 196 mm. The capital city saw rain on 23 out of 31 days of the month, much higher than the usual 10 rainy days in July. But this is not just the case with the capital city, as rainfall across the entire Northwest India has been well above normal this monsoon season. The Meteorological Department also said that the region received 337.7 mm of rain between June to June 30, which is about 20% higher than the long-term average of 280.8 mm.
Haryana-Delhi Tension
Similarly, in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, heavy rain over the past two days is also expected to contribute to a rise in the Yamuna level in the coming days. To keep a check on any unforeseen situation, the Delhi government last month decided to formally approach the Haryana government once again, seeking control of the ITO barrage. The structure can help in managing Yamuna’s flow through the city.
The ITO barrage was used during the flooding crisis in the capital city in 2023, when jammed gates at the ITO barrage — under Haryana government jurisdiction — were blamed for worsening the situation. During that time, over 25,000 people were displaced.
The barrage remains a politically sensitive site. While the Delhi government controls the Wazirabad barrage, and Uttar Pradesh manages the Okhla barrage, the ITO barrage is under the Haryana government and has been a source of friction for many years between the two states.