Yamuna water level increase in Delhi
– Photo: Amar Ujala
Expansion
Experts say that the flood in Yamuna river is a failure of government management. Although climatic conditions have complicated the situation, the problem is largely man-made. Due to heavy amount of silt present in Yamuna, illegal construction in the way of water logging and lack of proper drainage system, every time people living near the river are forced to leave their homes.
According to experts, there should be a system that ensures coordination between different sluice gates. Unfortunately, with very little rain, the water level of the Yamuna rises. This is because, due to siltation, the drainage is becoming shallow instead of deep. That is why the water supplied to the people of Delhi and used by them is also going back. It is getting back into the river, whose level is already high.
Despite normal rainfall in the upper catchment area of the Yamuna, widespread flooding occurred across Delhi, including parks, underpasses, markets and hospital complexes. This has also raised concerns about the city’s basic drainage infrastructure. According to the Central Water Commission, the flood water in the river downstream may cause severe flooding in Shamli district of western Uttar Pradesh.
A Delhi Jal Board official had said on July 10 that the reason for this rise in water level was the release of more water into the Yamuna from the Hathinikund barrage in Haryana. It has rained continuously in northwest India for three days. Heavy to very heavy rainfall has been recorded in many areas of Jammu-Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan.
These conditions are man-made, the biggest problem is river silt, scientific solution is necessary
Water experts say that if proper arrangements for drainage in Delhi are made, illegal constructions are removed and alternative arrangements are made to release water at Hathini Kund Barrage, then the risk of unnecessary floods in Yamuna can be avoided. The biggest problem is silt. It is very necessary to dispose of it in a scientific way. Till now no government of Delhi has taken any concrete initiative in this direction. Till this is not resolved, the people of Delhi will continue to be troubled by Yamuna floods even in slightly more than normal rains.