Haryana has no role in Yamuna’s rising: officials

CHANDIGARH - Haryana is not to blame for the Yamuna river’s level rising above the danger mark in Delhi, an official said here Sunday.

“There is no storage dam on the river Yamuna and any flood water that comes to Hathni Kund Barrage automatically passes downstream. Water cannot be stored at Hathni Kund Barrage and Haryana has no role to play in adding or subtracting to the flood water,” Engineer-in-Chief (Irrigation) Harmail Singh said.

“Some TV channels are wrongly reporting that Haryana was releasing excess of flood water that is causing floods in Delhi,” he said. In Delhi, people were evacuated from low-lying areas along the Yamuna as its water level stood at 205.02 metres - above the danger mark of 204.8 metres.

Harmail Singh said that heavy rains during the last few days in the catchment area of Yamuna, Markanda and Ghaggar rivers have caused heavy discharge of nearly 324,365 cusecs at Hathni Kund Barrage Sunday morning.

“The district administrations of Yamunanagar, Karnal, Sonepat, Panipat, Faridabad and Palwal have been alerted and irrigation staff members are keeping constant vigil on the embankment of river Yamuna,” he said.

Besides, in the wake of increase in the water level of Yamuna river, Sonipat district administration has cautioned all people living along the river.

A total of 344,674 cusecs of water was released from Tajewala headworks into Yamuna river Sunday morning.

“Water could reach Sonipat at any time after midnight. We have already issued an alert so that any loss of life and property could be avoided. We are monitoring the situation and all necessary arrangements have been made by the district administration to handle any kind of emergency,” a government spokesman said here.

The deputy commissioner of Faridabad has also asked the people of the villages located along river to remain alert, as water released from Tajewala headworks would enter the boundaries of this district soon.

“Currently there is no danger to crops and population along the river, since the water released from the Tajewala headworks would not cross the natural embankments of river Yamuna. But if there are rains in the catchment area during the next few days, then the situation can become problematic,” said an official of the Faridabad administration.