Water level of the river Yamuna in the national capital has started receding now and there is no immediate possibility of heavy rainfall in the city or in the upper reaches, Delhi Divisional Commissioner Ashwani Kumar said on Saturday.
He further informed that the situation was improving in flooded areas of the city.
“Now, the water is receding and it will continue receding today and tomorrow. The receding trend will persist since there is no sign of precipitation in the upper regions,” said Kumar, Principal Secretary, Revenue, and Divisional Commissioner in the Delhi government, while addressing a press conference on flood situation in the city.
He said that the water level of Yamuna at 11 am today stood at 207.43 meters and at 11 pm tonight it will reduce to 206.72 meters.
“We can see around five centimeters reduction in the water level and the situation will further improve till tomorrow,” Kumar said.
The Divisional Commissioner in the presence of the District Magistrates provided an overview of the current situation including the measures being undertaken by the government and updates on relief efforts.
“We have around 44 camps in Delhi at present, some of them are in schools and some are makeshift arrangements which we are aiming to move to school buildings only,” Kumar said.
He said the total number of evacuated people so far stands at 25,478 and a total of 22,803 people have come to the camps.
Kumar said it is “unfortunate” that allegations are being levelled against the officers in this current situation. “Blaming is not right in these odd circumstances,” he added.
The water level in swollen river Yamuna was recorded at 207.48 metres at 10 am in Delhi on Saturday. The overflowing Yamuna river has touched the Red Fort wall on Ring road, inundating the nearby areas.