Railways again closes Yamuna bridge in Delhi due to rise in water level, two trains cancelled

For the second time in three days, rail traffic over Old Yamuna Bridge was temporarily suspended on Tuesday as the water level in the Yamuna river continued to rise, northern railways said. Two passenger trains were cancelled while 19 trains short terminated and 17 diverted, it said.

The river was flowing at 206.04 metres at noon — more than a metre above the danger mark of 204.83 metres, officials said. The water level is expected to rise further.

“At 9 am, water level of Yamuna river was 206.03 m, much above danger mark of 204.83 m. Discharge of water from Hathini Kund Barrage was 24,992 cusecs today, it was about 5 lakh cusecs on July 28. Hopefully, water level will dip if it doesn’t rain,” said East Delhi district magistrate K Mahesh.

Earlier on Sunday, the Railways temporarily closed the old Yamuna bridge, also called Loha Pul, as the water level in the river reached 205.53 metres.

Heavy rain coupled with the release of excess water from the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana had led to swelling of the Yamuna and forced the Delhi government to evacuate over 3,000 people from low lying areas along the river in the national capital.

Old Yamuna Bridge is a road-cum-rail bridge on the Delhi-Howrah line that was built over 150 years ago. It serves as a major connectivity link between Delhi and the neighbouring states. The highest water level recorded at Old Yamuna Bridge was 207.49 metres in 1978. It was 207.11 metres in 2010 and 207.32 metres in 2013, according to the Delhi Disaster Management Authority.

(With inputs from agencies)

First Published: Jul 31, 2018 16:12 IST