Thaindian News

Chandigarh, Sep 11 (IANS) Water level in the Yamuna river, which was in spate for the last few days, has started receding, Haryana government officials said Saturday.
Officials said they have also observed a decline in the discharge from Hathni Kund barrage into the river.

Meanwhile, rescue and safety work in the flood affected villages in the state’s Yamunanagar, Panipat, Jhajjar and Sonepat districts was still going on, the officials said.

“Flood water in river Yamuna has receded considerably today (Saturday). The discharge from Hathni Kund barrage was only 36,034 cusecs today at 12 p.m.,” said Haryana Chief Secretary Urvashi Gulati here Saturday.

Gulati also reviewed the flood situation in the state with deputy commissioners of the affected districts.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda would also visit the flood affected areas of Yamunanagar Sep 13, she said.

“Water which had entered agricultural land and villages of Yamunanagar, Panipat and Karnal districts has started receding. Now water is standing only in low-lying areas,” she said.

Gulati said that the breach in river Yamuna, between Thamsabad and Pathargarh villages in Panipat district, had widened to about 175 feet.

The plugging of breach had not started so far as the flood water was flowing back to the river through it, she said.

The Haryana government also urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to immediately convene a meeting of the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) do discuss the use of river water.

“We want some foolproof plan to harness the river waters to meet the growing drinking and irrigational needs of the basin states, and save them from the rampaging fury of the floods during the rainy season,” Irrigation Minister Ajay Yadav said here.

“We want that the UYRB should be empowered to construct upstream storage dams as it could prevent floods in the Yamuna,” he said.