New Delhi: Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday said his department has renewed regulators of 14 drains to prevent flooding in the national capital.
He said the department has made pilot cuts where there were islands to facilitate water movement.
"Some of the places include ITO bridge, Old Railway bridge, near Vasudev Ghat. Making pilot cuts is a temporary measure to create an additional passage for additional discharge during floods," he said.
The department also restored the No. 12 drain regulator near the WHO building, which broke during last year's flood and caused areas like ITO to become submerged, he said.
The Indraprastha water regulator was breached on July 17 last year due to a strong current in the Yamuna when the water level of the river reached its highest level in 70 years, peaking at 208.66 metres, far above above the danger mark of 205.33 meters. The previous maximum of 207.49 meters was recorded in 1978.
"There are 14 drains that have regulators and all of them have been restored. In the Tanga Stand regulator, the height of the gate has been increased from 3.45 meters to 4.45 meters. Similarly, the height of the gate has also been increased gate at the Metcalf House regulator from 3.25 meters to 4.25 metres," Bharadwaj added.
The department also plans to build a stepped ramp at the Monastery market, where there was heavy flooding last year. However, the construction of the structure will be carried out after consultation with the market association, he said, adding that the issue is being coordinated by the district magistrates of the eastern and central districts.
Bharadwaj said the main cause of the floods in Delhi was the release of water into the Yamuna at the Hathnikund dam in Haryana, which is aggravated by heavy rains.
To protect the city, direct drainage discharge is stopped through regulators when the river level rises, alerts are issued at 204.5 meters and evacuations begin at 205.33 meters, he said.
The minister said the first level of warning is triggered when the discharge from Hathnikund Barrage to the Yamuna river exceeds 1 lakh cusecs. At that time public announcements are made to warn people.
If the discharge exceeds 3 lakh cusecs, people living on the river embankments will be warned and the revenue department will make arrangements to shift them to a safer place, he said.
The third warning is triggered when the discharge exceeds 5 lakh cusecs and in that scenario, people living in flood-prone areas will be shifted to higher altitude locations, he added.
"In cities like Mumbai, the drainage water is discharged into the sea, but in Delhi we have to discharge it into the Yamuna river. When the level of the Yamuna rises, we stop the direct discharge of drainage into the Yamuna, to prevent the Yamuna water from entering in the city. And when this happens, we are forced to use pumps to discharge the water. This year we are all prepared and the pumps are ready," he said.
He also said that water discharge from other states is minimal.
"Once water is released from the mountains and Haryana, the first level of warning is issued in Delhi. The water released from Hathnikund dam takes 36 to 72 hours to reach Delhi," Bharadwaj added.
The Central Water Commission informs us about the probability, timing and possible non-compliance, he said, adding that last year these arrangements were manual, but this year everything is online.
The Flood Control Department will receive real-time data on water levels, he said.
"It may be noted that large towers are being constructed in the areas around Haryana's Najafgarh Lake, which could cause flooding in both Delhi and Haryana. On the Haryana side of Najafgarh Lake, these constructions are causing water logging, which which poses a risk to both states. We have written to the Chief Secretary and Chief Minister of Haryana, requesting them to stop these constructions," the minister said.
He said that they are also working on removing sediment from the drainage and have managed to remove 12,97,000 lakh metric tonnes.
"We have also set up a flood control room in Shastri Nagar where we get real-time online updates," he added.
He said the department has made pilot cuts where there were islands to facilitate water movement.
"Some of the places include ITO bridge, Old Railway bridge, near Vasudev Ghat. Making pilot cuts is a temporary measure to create an additional passage for additional discharge during floods," he said.
The department also restored the No. 12 drain regulator near the WHO building, which broke during last year's flood and caused areas like ITO to become submerged, he said.
The Indraprastha water regulator was breached on July 17 last year due to a strong current in the Yamuna when the water level of the river reached its highest level in 70 years, peaking at 208.66 metres, far above above the danger mark of 205.33 meters. The previous maximum of 207.49 meters was recorded in 1978.
"There are 14 drains that have regulators and all of them have been restored. In the Tanga Stand regulator, the height of the gate has been increased from 3.45 meters to 4.45 meters. Similarly, the height of the gate has also been increased gate at the Metcalf House regulator from 3.25 meters to 4.25 metres," Bharadwaj added.
The department also plans to build a stepped ramp at the Monastery market, where there was heavy flooding last year. However, the construction of the structure will be carried out after consultation with the market association, he said, adding that the issue is being coordinated by the district magistrates of the eastern and central districts.
Bharadwaj said the main cause of the floods in Delhi was the release of water into the Yamuna at the Hathnikund dam in Haryana, which is aggravated by heavy rains.
To protect the city, direct drainage discharge is stopped through regulators when the river level rises, alerts are issued at 204.5 meters and evacuations begin at 205.33 meters, he said.
The minister said the first level of warning is triggered when the discharge from Hathnikund Barrage to the Yamuna river exceeds 1 lakh cusecs. At that time public announcements are made to warn people.
If the discharge exceeds 3 lakh cusecs, people living on the river embankments will be warned and the revenue department will make arrangements to shift them to a safer place, he said.
The third warning is triggered when the discharge exceeds 5 lakh cusecs and in that scenario, people living in flood-prone areas will be shifted to higher altitude locations, he added.
"In cities like Mumbai, the drainage water is discharged into the sea, but in Delhi we have to discharge it into the Yamuna river. When the level of the Yamuna rises, we stop the direct discharge of drainage into the Yamuna, to prevent the Yamuna water from entering in the city. And when this happens, we are forced to use pumps to discharge the water. This year we are all prepared and the pumps are ready," he said.
He also said that water discharge from other states is minimal.
"Once water is released from the mountains and Haryana, the first level of warning is issued in Delhi. The water released from Hathnikund dam takes 36 to 72 hours to reach Delhi," Bharadwaj added.
The Central Water Commission informs us about the probability, timing and possible non-compliance, he said, adding that last year these arrangements were manual, but this year everything is online.
The Flood Control Department will receive real-time data on water levels, he said.
"It may be noted that large towers are being constructed in the areas around Haryana's Najafgarh Lake, which could cause flooding in both Delhi and Haryana. On the Haryana side of Najafgarh Lake, these constructions are causing water logging, which which poses a risk to both states. We have written to the Chief Secretary and Chief Minister of Haryana, requesting them to stop these constructions," the minister said.
He said that they are also working on removing sediment from the drainage and have managed to remove 12,97,000 lakh metric tonnes.
"We have also set up a flood control room in Shastri Nagar where we get real-time online updates," he added.
