On the rising water level in the Yamuna river, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, requesting his involvement in the flow of water from the Hathinikund barrage in Haryana.
According to Kejriwal, the water level in the Yamuna is rising due to water released from the Hathinikund barrage, not rain.
According to the Central Water Commission, the Yamuna hit 207.66 meters in Delhi at 3 p.m. today, far above the danger mark, and is expected to cross 207.72 meters by midnight.
In the letter, Kejriwal stated that the previous maximum level in the Yamuna was 207.49 metres in 1978, during a big flood in the national capital.
“According to the estimate of the Central Water Commission, the level of Yamuna will reach 207.72 meters tonight, which is very worrying,” the chief minister said.
“It has not rained in Delhi for the last three days. The water level in the Yamuna in Delhi is not increasing due to the rains in Delhi, but due to the water released from the Hathinikund barrage located in Haryana,” he added, requesting the home minister to limit the speed of the release of water from Hathinikund barrage at a limited speed “so that the level of Yamuna in Delhi does not rise further.”
Noting that the G20 Summit is coming up in a few weeks, Kejriwal stated that news of the flood in the national capital will not send a positive message to the rest of the globe.
“Delhi is the capital of the country. The G20 summit is going to be held here in a few weeks. The news of the flood in the country’s capital will not send a good message to the world. Together we all have to save the people of Delhi from this situation,” he wrote.
On Monday night, the river had risen above the 206-metre evacuation level, forcing residents of flood-prone regions to relocate to safer areas and closing the Old Railway Bridge to vehicle and rail traffic.