New Delhi:
Delhi was on edge on Friday with the water level in Yamuna rising one meter above the danger mark, threatening to flood the nearby low lying areas even as Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit appealed to people not to panic.
The water level in the river touched 205.88 meter at 3pm and is likely to rise further in the evening when water released from Hathanikund Barrage in Haryana reaches the city, a Flood Control Department official said.
Yamuna had crossed danger level of 204.83 metres on Thursday, prompting authorities to evacuate hundreds of people living in the low lying areas. Seventy-four boats and 68 divers have also been pressed into service.
Dikshit, asking people not to panic said though Haryana has released nearly nine lakh cusec of water in the last three days, there may not be much threat to the city as water has dispersed due to breaking of embankments along the route.
"I was told that at 10 am today somewhere along the route embankments have broken and the water has dispersed. We were expecting around 3.5 lakh cusec water to reach Delhi. Now it may get reduced," she said.
"With this, the kind of threat we were anticipating may not be there," she said.
Flood Control Minister Raj Kumar Chouhan said over 100 booster pumps were fitted along the banks of the river to pump out water which may enter the low-lying areas.
"We are constantly monitoring the situation and ready for any eventualities," he said.
"Haryana released nearly one lakh cusec of water today," an official said.
Last month too, the water level in the Yamuna rose above the danger level, prompting authorities to shift a large number of people to relief camps.