Rea-time monitoring of Yamuna in Delhi planned

New Delhi

A view of Vasudev Ghat, during the recent flood. (Arvind Yadav/HT Photo)

The Irrigation and flood control (I&FC) department of Delhi is planning to upgrade its process to monitor Yamuna water levels from hourly measurements to real-time tracking, to speed up its response to the situation, government officials said.

A senior government official said that the standard water level of the Yamuna river in Delhi is currently measured at the Old Delhi Railway Bridge, to assess the threat of floods and calls for evacuation.

“An upgrade for the process of measuring the water level of Yamuna is now being considered. There is a gauge station at the Old Delhi Railway Bridge, which is part of a network of hydrological observation stations. These stations record the gauge of the water, which is then used with discharge and other data to monitor flood levels and forecast future conditions,” the official said, adding that an array of sensors coupled with software may be used so that level is not measured every hour, but every moment.

“The increase in the water level in the upgraded system will one real time basis. We will be able to get even more accurate information about how much water level can rise in the next few hours,” official said.

To be sure, Delhi’s I&FC department classifies a water level of 204.50 metres at Old Railway Bridge as the warning level. The danger level is pegged at 205.33 metres and evacuation begins when the water level crosses the 206-metre mark.

Officials say that under the process currently adopted by the Central Water Commission (CWC), water level is measured and relayed from a station located near the ORB. “There is a proposal to use IoT technology. In this method, IoT sensor is installed, which converts the water level data into a digital signal which is then transmitted on a network, so that IoT devices get real-time information,” the official said.

The department is also planning to hire drones for surveillance and recording of video feeds of the flood affected areas which can help the administration to assess the situation in real time. “Integrated with a central server, it can be used to send warnings and alert messages to people living in the vulnerable areas,” officials said.

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