The water level of the Yamuna river in Delhi is likely to breach the all-time high level of 207.49 meters on Wednesday, officials cautioned.
As per the information from the Central Water Commission's (CWC) flood-monitoring portal, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge crossed the 207-metre benchmark at 4 a.m. (IST), a first since 2013, and surged to 207.25 metres by 8 a.m. on Wednesday.
The officials also added that the river's water level is expected to rise even further.
Notably, the river's water level has been swelling for the last three days, corroborated by data testifying to a rise of more than 203 meters on Sunday and more than 206 meters on Monday night.
The ongoing surge in water levels has prompted the authorities to relocate those living in flood-prone and low-lying areas to safe place and relief camps.
The authorities also closed the Old Railway Bridge to road and railway traffic.
An official attributed the sharp rise to the incessant rainfall in the upper catchment areas and saturated soil from heavy precipitation in Delhi and nearby regions over the weekend.
Apart from this, the release of water from Haryana's Hathnikund barrage has also resulted in water overflowing into the river.
As per the CWC, the flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage rose to 359,760 cusecs at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, the highest in the last three days, and remained above the 200,000 cusec mark till Wednesday morning.
Apart from moving people to safe areas, the authorities have also deployed 45 boats for awareness, evacuation and rescue work and NGOs have been called in to provide relief to those who have been evacuated.
Along with this, 16 control rooms have been set up to monitor the flood-prone areas and the Yamuna's water level, while diving and medical teams have also been deployed with all the necessary materials and equipment.
Earlier on Monday, Delhi State Chief Arvind Kejriwal had said that a flood-like situation is unlikely in Delhi, but the city government is prepared to tackle any eventuality.
According to CWC, the water level of 207.25 metres is the highest since 2013 when the river reached a level of 207.32 metres. The all-time high was recorded at 207.49 meters in 1978.