Yamuna water levels drop marginally; floodwaters reach Supreme Court entrance

After breaching a 45-year record three days ago, water levels in the Yamuna in Delhi came down to 208.25 metres at 3 pm on Friday even as several key areas in the city were inundated.

On Thursday, the water level had started rising after remaining stable for three hours and reached 208.66 metres by 7 pm, three metres above the danger mark of 205.33 metres.

According to Central Water Commission (CWC) data, the water level stood at 208.57 metres in the early hours of Friday and fell marginally to 208.48 metres at 5 am.

The water level in the Yamuna was 208.42 metres at 8 am, 208.38 metres at 10 am and 208.35 metres at 11 am. It went down further to 208.27 metres at 1 pm and 208.25 metres at 3 pm.

The Yamuna in Delhi swelled to 207.71 metres on Wednesday, breaching its all-time record of 207.49 metres set in 1978.

Meanwhile, the floodwaters reached the entrance of the Supreme Court in central Delhi and submerged the busy ITO intersection and Rajghat as the Irrigation and Flood Control Department's regulator was damaged.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Revenue Minister Atishi directed Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to seek help from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Army to prevent the entry of floodwaters into new areas in the national capital.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and Kejriwal visited the ITO intersection and inspected the repair work on the breached regulator.

The Indraprastha water regulator was breached due to the strong flow of the Yamuna river and is likely to be repaired within three-four hours, the chief minister said.

Commuters faced difficulties as traffic was diverted due to waterlogging at ITO road, a key stretch connecting east Delhi to Lutyens' Delhi.

"No vehicular traffic will be allowed on Mahatma Gandhi Marg from Sarai Kale Khan towards IP Flyover due to overflow of drain water near WHO Building. Commuters are advised to avoid the stretch," the Delhi Traffic Police said in a tweet.

Some commuters were seen dragging their vehicles on the waterlogged road.