YAMUNANAGAR, Aug. 18 — Incessant rainfall across northern states pushed the Yamuna’s discharge at Hathnikund barrage to 1.78 lakh cusecs on Sunday, the highest recorded this monsoon, prompting flood alerts in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and the national capital.
The irrigation and water resources department declared a “medium flood” situation and opened all 18 floodgates of the barrage. Officials said water levels began rising around 7 a.m., crossing the one-lakh-cusec mark by 1 p.m., and peaked at 1.78 lakh cusecs at 3 p.m. “Water flow of 70,000 to 1.5 lakh cusecs is categorised as a ‘low flood,’ while 1.5 lakh to 2.5 lakh cusecs is considered a ‘medium flood.’ Any flow above 2.5 lakh cusecs is a ‘high flood,’” an official explained, noting that one cusec equals 28.32 litres per second.
Authorities warned that the surge could inundate low-lying areas of Yamunanagar, Karnal, Panipat and Sonepat. The Central Water Commission (CWC) has issued an alert for Delhi, where the impact of the discharge is expected within 48 hours.
Meanwhile, heavy rainfall in Himachal-bordering districts swelled the Som river in Yamunanagar. The river crossed 24,000 cusecs against its 10,000-cusec danger mark, flowing over the Dhanaura village bridge and causing panic among residents. Water levels in the Som and Pathrala rivers later began to recede.
The rising water led to waterlogging in several villages. Vyaspur Sub-Divisional Magistrate Jaspal Singh Gill and DSP Harvindra Singh inspected vulnerable spots, including embankments of the Nakti river in Sadhaura and the Som river in Vyaspur.
“Due to the rising water levels in rivers and streams, waterlogging has become a major issue in nearby villages. The administration is fully prepared to manage the situation, and floodwater management efforts are in place,” Gill said. He added that embankments had been constructed by the irrigation department in villages including Ranjitpur, Ranipur, Bhamanoli, Chintpur, Khanuwala and Malikpur Bangar.
Gill also reported heavy rainfall across the district — 99 mm in Pratap Nagar, 78 mm in Jagadhari, 50 mm in Chhachrauli, 48 mm in Sadhaura, 40 mm in Saraswati Nagar, 30 mm in Vyaspur and 13 mm in Radaur. “The administration is continuously monitoring the situation in sensitive villages like Khanuwala, Chintpur and Manipur,” he said.
DSP Harvindra Singh confirmed that police had stepped up surveillance and were on alert in flood-prone zones.
