Yamuna water breaches level hit during 1978 floods in Delhi

Surging water levels in the Yamuna breached a 45-year-old landmark to touch record levels on Wednesday, marooning low-lying neighbourhoods in the Capital and sparking a massive evacuation effort that stoked a political controversy.

- Alok KN Mishra

The Yamuna swelled to 208.08 metres at 11pm, breaking the previous record of 207.49 on September 6, 1978, leading to floods in the Capital.

Authorities warned that the water level will rise through the night and rise to 208.3m by 9am on Thursday as large chunks of Delhi - monastery market and Majnu ka Tila in north Delhi, Mayur Vihar Phase I and Geeta Colony in east Delhi, and multiple patches on Ring Road near Kashmere Gate in old Delhi were inundated. It remained unclear just how big a swathe of the city this new benchmark could submerge.By 6pm, police had closed some sections of the Ring Road and Bhairon Marg in central Delhi.

But experts pointed out that Delhi then didn't have over 22km of embankments on each side of the Yamuna protecting the city in 1978, and added that three consecutive days of little or no rainfall in Delhi may help avoid large-scale flooding with new measures added over the past 45 years.

Relief personnel helped evacuate 16,500 people from six districts, and housed them in 2,500 relief camps, warding other people off the banks of a river that lies moribund for most of the year but one that has transformed into a gushing torrent due to heavy showers in Himachal Pradesh and water released from upstream dams bursting beyond their capacity.

"The water started entering the market area last night and by the morning the entire market was flooded. Many store owners had removed their stuff in advance, but many could not do it... The total damage will be known only when the shops open after the flood water recedes," said Dawa, a worker at a store in Monastery Market.