Heavy rainfall across northern India has pushed the Yamuna’s water flow at Hathnikund barrage in Yamunanagar to 1.78 lakh cusecs, the highest discharge recorded this monsoon. The surge on Sunday prompted authorities to issue flood alerts for several districts in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi.

Officials from the irrigation and water resources department confirmed that all 18 floodgates of the barrage were opened after the water flow crossed the “medium flood” threshold. Water levels began rising around 7 am, crossed one lakh cusecs by afternoon, and peaked at 1.78 lakh cusecs by 3 pm.

Areas Under Threat

According to authorities, the release is likely to affect low-lying areas of Yamunanagar, Karnal, Panipat, and Sonepat before reaching the national capital within 48 hours. The Central Water Commission (CWC) has already issued an alert for Delhi.

In addition to the Yamuna, continuous rainfall also swelled the Som river in Yamunanagar, with overflow reported at Dhanaura bridge, where the flow touched 24,000 cusecs—well above the 10,000 cusecs danger mark. Panic spread among locals and commuters, though levels began receding after a few hours.

Administrative Measures

District officials, including SDM Jaspal Singh Gill and DSP Harvindra Singh, inspected embankments along the Nakti and Som rivers. Gill said the administration has deployed teams and flood management efforts are underway, including embankments built in vulnerable villages such as Ranjitpur, Ranipur, Bhamanoli, Chintpur, Khanuwala, and Malikpur Bangar.

Rainfall figures showed Pratap Nagar receiving 99 mm, followed by 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. Officials added that continuous monitoring is being carried out in sensitive areas like Khanuwala, Chintpur, and Manipur, while police have stepped up surveillance.

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