Swollen Yamuna in Delhi likely to recede from Thursday

The water level in the Yamuna that crossed the danger mark of 204.83m on Tuesday is expected to start receding from Thursday, district officials said.

“The water level touched 205.79m at 7pm on Wednesday. It is expected to touch a peak of 205.85m by 11 pm, following which it is expected to recede. The district administration has already evacuated people living in the low-lying areas and tents have been pitched. Food is also being distributed,” said K Mahesh, district magistrate of Shahdara in east Delhi.

The government sounded a flood alert after the water level starting rising on Tuesday due to heavy rains in the hilly states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand over the weekend.

The measures taken by the government, however, proved futile as less than two per cent of the tents were occupied. “At least 1,391 tents were pitched. But only around 98 people moved to the tents. Around 600 people were evacuated from the low lying areas,” said Mahesh.