Yamuna inches closer to danger mark, Delhi set to approach Haryana for control of ITO barrage
Irrigation and Flood Control Minister (I&FC) Parvesh Sahib Singh has given a nod to the plan, said officials. 'The Minister is likely to take the matter up with Haryana,' said an official, adding, 'While repairs have been made, Delhi needs full control to act swiftly in emergencies…'.
The statement also underlined that the matter is being taken up 'to ensure Delhi's safety is not compromised'.
Around 6 pm on Wednesday, the water level of the Yamuna river reached 204.08 metres, close to the official warning mark of 204.5 m, sparking flooding concerns. The danger level mark is 205.33 m at the Old Railway Bridge, which is the water level monitoring site in Delhi, for flood forecasting. Of the three Yamuna barrages in the Capital, the Delhi government maintains the Wazirabad barrage, and the Okhla barrage is handled by the Uttar Pradesh government. The ITO barrage is managed by the Haryana government.
The ITO barrage site was at the centre of controversy in 2023 as the water level breached the 208-metres mark and flooded the area, forcing more than 25,000 people living along the floodplains to be displaced. The key water treatment plants, including Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla, were shut, leading to a drinking water crisis in the Capital.
The jamming of the defunct barrage gates was among the concerns raised by the officials in the city. There were five jammed gates at the site, which were finally opened after a month-long operation by the Indian Navy and divers. Key areas in the city near the site, including Ring Road, Kashmere Gate, Old Delhi, Civil Lines and East Delhi, till the Supreme Court, got inundated within a day.
Referring to this, an official in Wednesday's statement was quoted as saying, 'While the gates at the barrage have been repaired to prevent any flood-like situation like in 2023, we are monitoring the situation closely…'
This is not the first time the government has appealed to Haryana to hand over the control of the ITO barrage to allow quicker on-ground response.
Responding to the Delhi government's decision, the Aam Aadmi Party, in a statement, said, 'In 2023, it is a matter of record that the BJP-ruled Haryana government did not open the gates of the ITO barrage due to poor maintenance. That was the real cause of flooding in Delhi. When AAP's Delhi government raised this issue, the BJP defended its Haryana government.
'The then I&FC Minister, Saurabh Bharadwaj, had requested the Haryana CM to hand over the maintenance of the ITO barrage to the Delhi government. It is good to see that better sense is now prevailing, and the BJP is able to see the facts without political colouring,' it added.
A probe panel set up by the Haryana government had attributed the 2023 flooding to the non-opening of four ITO gates and to the floodplain encroachments near the barrage, which slowed down drainage. A chief engineer of the Haryana Irrigation Department. who was posted in Delhi, was later suspended.
Earlier, however, senior officials from the Haryana government had reasoned that the control of the barrage was key to get authentic data to resolve any water sharing disputes, adding that it plays 'a strategic role' to check available supplies in Yamuna.
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