NEW DELHI: The Yamuna receded further on Sunday, even though it remained marginally above the danger mark, giving a respite to the people and the government alike.
As the flow of water at Old Yamuna Bridge came down to 205.5 metres at 11pm, the government agencies intensified their efforts to clear the waterlogged residential pockets and streets, remove the silt, and make the roads motorable again a day before the new week began.
Following torrential rains in the north, the Yamuna received unprecedented water from the hills of Himachal Pradesh, causing floods in several cities, including Delhi, earlier this week. The river spilled over and caused flooding in several residential areas close to the floodplain, as the flow of water touched the all-time high of 208.66 metres on July 13.
Though the water level has been going down since then, officials are monitoring the weather closely as the meteorological department has predicted another spell of heavy rains on July 17-18.
Officials, however, said the river maintained the receding trend on Sunday too with the level going down at the rate of 3-4cm per hour for the third day in succession due to a fall in the release of water from Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana's Yamuna Nagar.
"At this rate, the flow of Yamuna in the capital is likely to go below the danger mark of 205.33 early on Monday," said a central water commission official.
Though the release of water from the barrage increased slightly - from the range of 40,000 on Saturday and early Sunday to 68,000 in the afternoon - officials said it may not have much impact unless there is heavy rain in the hills.
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