Boats have been deployed to spread awareness along Yamuna's banks and for rescue work
The Yamuna's water level in Delhi is now at an all-time high amid the monsoon fury across north India. The rising water mark has led to flooding in several riverside areas. The river is now flowing at 207.55 metres after it crossed the record level of 207.49 that it had touched 45 years back.
The swollen river has flooded homes and markets, causing immense hardship to residents. Many of the residents living near the river have now moved to the terrace with their belongings, helplessly staring at the rising water level.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held an emergency meeting and urged the centre to ensure that no more water released by Haryana's Hatnikund barrage. In a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah, he requested that "limited quantity of water should be released by Haryana from Hathnikund barrage so that the level of Yamuna doesn't rise any further".
Citing upcoming G20 summit in the national capital, Mr Kejriwal said, "If flood happens in Delhi, it won't send a good message to the world".
Delhi Police has imposed restrictions on public gathering in the flood-prone areas as a precautionary measure.
At 11 am, the river was flowing at 207.38 at Old Railway Bridge. This was higher than the 2013 water level of 207.32, when the national capital saw flooding. In 1978, the Yamuna had flowed at 207.49 metres, a record that was broken today.
Officials from Central Water Commission have predicted that the water level may rise further, reaching 207.57 metres later in the day. The consistent rise will prompt an extreme flood alert in Old Delhi.
Delhi has recorded a rapid rise in the Yamuna level over the past three days. The administration has relocated people living in the flood-prone areas and shut the Old Railway Bridge for traffic and train movement.
According to a PTI report, an official has said the sharp rise in water level was due to continuous rainfall in upper catchment areas and saturated soil from heavy precipitation in Delhi and nearby regions. Water released from a barrage in Haryana has led to the surge in Yamuna levels.
Boats have been deployed to spread awareness along river banks and for rescue work.
Several homes near the bank have been flooded. NDTV spoke to shopowners in Monastery Market in Old Delhi area who raced against the rising water level to clear their shops. Many of them were seen packing up and leaving.
"The last time we saw so much water was in 2013. Flooding destroys our shops, ruins stocks. We suffer big losses," a shopkeeper said.
The flood situation in Delhi comes at a time when north India has been hit hard by monsoon rampage. Large-scale destruction have taken place in Himachal Pradesh due to landslides and flash floods. Punjab too has taken a hit, with massive waterlogging in key cities. The rain fury has now shifted to Uttarakhand.