Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday called an emergency meeting as the Yamuna reached its highest level so far at 207.55 metres, posing a threat of floods in the city.
The meeting will be held at the Delhi Secretariat where senior officers of all departments concerned will be present, said a Delhi government official.
Thousands of people have been evacuated and shifted to safer places due to rising level of the Yamuna river in the national capital.
The India Meteorological Department said heavy rain pounded several places in Uttarakhand and adjoining parts of Uttar Pradesh, raising concerns about a further rise in the water level in rivers.
The Yamuna river in Delhi swelled to 207.25 metres and was flowing precariously close to the all-time record level of 207.49 metres reached in 1978, government agencies said on Wednesday.
According to the Central Water Commission's (CWC) flood-monitoring portal, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge crossed the 207-metre mark at 4 am, the first time since 2013, and rose to 207.55 metres by 1 pm.
The river is likely to rise further, an official of the irrigation and flood control department said.
Delhi recorded a rapid increase in the Yamuna water level over the last three days.
According to the Central Water Commission's (CWC) flood-monitoring portal, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge crossed the 207-metre mark at 4 am, the first time since 2013, and rose to 207.55 metres by 1 pm.
The river is likely to rise further, an official of the irrigation and flood control department said.
Delhi recorded a rapid increase in the Yamuna water level over the last three days.
It shot up from 203.14 metres at 11 am on Sunday to 205.4 at 5 pm on Monday, breaching the danger mark of 205.33 metres 18 hours earlier than expected.
The river had exceeded the evacuation mark of 206 metres on Monday night, prompting the relocation of people residing in flood-prone areas to safer locations and a closure of the Old Railway Bridge for road and rail traffic.
Delhi water minister Saurabh Bharadwaj told the media that the city government was prepared to deal with the situation. "We are monitoring the situation and all possible steps are being taken," he said.
