YAMUNANAGAR: The Yamuna River, which had remained calm for nearly six weeks, surged into spate on Saturday following heavy rainfall in the hilly regions of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. As a precaution, all 18 gates of the Hathnikund Barrage in Yamunanagar district were opened for the first time this monsoon season, releasing a massive discharge of 1,78,896 cusecs of water downstream. The released water is expected to reach national capital Delhi within the next 30-48 hours, raising the river’s water level and posing a potential flood risk to low-lying areas.

Officials of the Haryana irrigation and water resources department (IWRD) sounded alert sirens before opening the barrage gates and issued warnings to residents and farmers to stay away from the riverbanks and keep their livestock at a safe distance. The district administration, as well as the Delhi government, has been informed of the situation.Haryana IWRD superintendent engineer at Yamunanagar, R S Mittal stated that due to heavy rainfall in the hilly catchment areas, water levels rose sharply, necessitating the release. “This is the first time this season that all 18 gates of the Hathnikund Barrage have been opened. Supply to canals has been stopped to manage the increased flow,” Mittal said.As per official categorisation, a discharge of over one lakh cusecs is considered low flood, 1.5 lakh cusecs is termed medium flood, and anything above 2.5 lakh cusecs is classified as high flood. With the current release already exceeding the low flood mark, officials are keeping a close watch on the situation.Water levels in the Yamuna rose steadily since morning on Sunday. At 10 am, the flow was recorded at 74,304 cusecs, which rose to 81,353 cusecs at 11 am; 91,985 cusecs at noon, and 1.16 lakh cusecs by 1 pm. By 3 pm, the discharge peaked at 1.78 lakh cusecs, said the state IWRD officer.Meanwhile, several other rivers and streams in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh are also in spate. The Somb River, a tributary to Yamuna River, which has a capacity of 10,000 cusecs, is currently carrying over 23,000 cusecs of water, threatening villages in its catchment areas. In Dhanaura village and nearby Haripur Khol, local streams have also overflowed, raising fears of inundation. At Ranjitpur, the bridge connecting Haryana to Himachal Pradesh was under pressure as river water flowed over it, causing concern among residents.With monsoon rains continuing in the hills, authorities are on high alert. Residents in vulnerable areas along the Yamuna have been cautioned about possible flooding as Delhi braces for a rise in river levels over the next two days.