Yamuna river rises: Khattar calls emergency meeting

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today held an emergency meeting with senior officials in the wake of rising level of Yamuna river due to heavy rains in the catchment areas, and directed them to stay alert to deal with any untoward situation.

He also conducted an aerial survey of the Hathnikund barrage located on Yamuna river in Yamunanagar district.

The minister was told that 6,05,949 cusecs of water flowing from the Hathnikund barrage was passing through Karnal and would reach Delhi by tomorrow.

With Yamuna flowing close to the danger mark, several villages were flooded leading to crop losses, officials said.

In some villages in Yamunanagar district, the flood waters entered ouses and buildings.

The administration has deployed boats at various places for people to commute from one village to other and to evacuate them, if the water level rises further, they said.

The water level rose in the wake of continuous rains in catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh.

Khattar sought information on the water level from the deputy commissioners of Yamunanagar, Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat and Palwal, and other officers through video-conferencing. He also reviewed the arrangements made by them, an official spokesperson said here.

The officers informed the chief minister that 6,05,949 cusecs of water was flowing from the Hathnikund Barrage in Yamunanagar till 6 pm yesterday. Earlier in 2010, 8.05 lakh cusecs of water passed through this barrage, and in 2013,