There will be intermittent rainfall in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) but it will not aggravate the flood situation, said the Regional weather forecasting center Delhi.

Speaking to The Statesman, Kuldeep Srivastava, Head of the Regional Weather Forecasting Center said, “There will be rainfall, and over the weekend there will be moderate rainfall. However, this will not add up to an extent that may become worrisome for the authorities concerned. The rising Yamuna River is due to the release of water from Hathinikund Barrage. And that is even expected today. So, we cannot blame the rainfall for the swelling river levels. The rainfall is seasonal and the desired amount is usually expected in this season.

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The Yumuna has been flowing above the danger mark for the past few days. The river water entered many parts of the city. Due to the incessant and heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, the water level of HathiniKund Barrage crossed the permissible limit. The Barrage released the water into the Yamuna River. The Yamuna River was already filled with water of the continuous rainfall that took place in the past week in Delhi and NCR. And when the water was released from the Hathinikund Barrage, an overflowing river entered the city.

According to the experts, there is no mechanism to hold water in HathiniKund Barrage if it swells and crosses the permissible limit. If water is not released in the Yamuna River the water will enter Karnal and Panipat in Haryana.

Srivastava further added that the already swelling Yamuna River will have little increase in water level. “See the Yamuna is flowing at a record high at 208. 48 meters. The moderate rainfall will add a little which will not be hugely impactful. However, the areas in the city that have filled with water would witness the stranded water. As a result, there will be traffic congestion, and metro slowing and some stations close to the river would remain closed. These safety measures that have been put in place will remain over the weekend.

It is expected that the water will be further released from Hathinikund Barrage and therefore the precautionary measures will be in place.

There are two barrages on Yamuna. One is in Dehradun and another is in Hathinikund in Haryana. And since there are no dams on the river therefore most of the monsoon water is not utilized. This is the reason that the excess water of Yamuna during monsoon flows above the danger mark and creates a flood-like situation every year.