Delhi sees sultry day, highest Yamuna level since 1978

Delhi residents experienced a sultry, rainless Wednesday as the maximum temperature shot up a little at 35.5 degrees Celsius - two notches below average. Thursday will be cloudy.

The capital had been witnessing below average temperatures since the last few days and Tuesday's maximum temperature was seven notches below average at 32.1 degrees while the minimum was 23.5 degrees Celsius, five notches below average.

Wednesday's minimum temperature settled three notches below average at 24.8 degrees Celsius.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Thursday will see cloudy skies and the maximum and minimum temperatures will hover around 37 and 26 degrees Celsius.

With no rains in the capital Wednesday, there were no traffic snarls.

The Yamuna river Wednesday continued to flow over the danger mark of 207.20 metres - the highest ever since 1978. The water level is further expected to reach 207.7 metres, a government official said.

As the swelled up Yamuna breached its banks, the city's 145-year-old railway bridge had to be shut down, and 2,000 families living along the river banks evacuated to safer places.

According to a Delhi government official, a man was washed away by the stron currents of the Yamuna while he was taking a bath near Majnu Ka Tilla in north Delhi.

The water level has been rising in the Yamuna due to the release of 8.06 lakh cusecs of water from the Hathinikund barrage in Haryana Monday, and an additional 3.38 cusecs on Tuesday morning.

However, as the city is not witnessing heavy rains, authorities are hopeful that no major flood situation would arise here.

While 62 boats have been deployed for rescue operations, district magistrates have been directed to identify more low-lying areas in view of unprecedented rise in the water level.