Sunday, September 12, 2010

YAMUNA STILL ABOVE DANGER MARK

THOUSANDS EVACUATED IN NEW DELHI
YAMUNA BREACHED THE DANGER LEVEL
NEW DELHI (NDTV) - Flood fears in Delhi abated to some extent as the Yamuna started receding by the hour, though it is still flowing above the danger mark. However, a new cause for worry is the incessant rain that’s lashing the Capital. Heavy rains led to waterlogging and slowed down traffic in some areas. As per the Meteorological Department, the downpour is likely to continue throughout the day. On Saturday evening, the water level had risen as more water was released from Hathanikund barrage in Haryana. The Yamuna, Delhi’s main river, crossed the danger mark by more than 2 meters - 206.78 meters (678 feet) - as the flood-hit neighboring state of Haryana released water into the river, said D.P. Singh, the officer in charge of flood control. The danger level in the capital is 204.83 meters. The rising Yamuna flooded several parts of the Capital on Saturday as the water level climbed two metres above the danger mark, threatening to submerge more low-lying areas.

On Friday, Delhi’s Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit had assured residents that the situation was “under control” and all mechanisms to deal with the potential flooding had been put into place. A bridge was closed down as a precautionary measure and several trains were canceled. The Yamuna flood has also affected several trains. Rail traffic has come to a halt over the Old Yamuna Bridge affecting the arrival and departure of trains from the Delhi Junction. According to a Railways spokesperson, 23 trains have been cancelled and 37 trains have been diverted. The Railways has also changed the origin destination of 42 trains in order to avoid further congestion.


The rising Yamunā flooded several parts of the Indian capital - New Delhi - on Friday. As the water level climbed two metres above the danger mark, threatening to submerge more low-lying areas, thousands of residents were moved to higher ground. By only naming the Yamunā River, comes to mind when the Lord Krishna took action against the black serpent Kāliya, who was polluting the waters of this river.


WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?
Within the river Yamunā there was a great lake, and in that lake the black serpent Kāliya used to live. Because of his poison, the whole area was so contaminated that it emanated a poisonous vapor twenty-four hours a day. If a bird happened to even pass over the spot, it would immediately die and fall down in the water. ... As soon as the residents of Vrindāvana saw that Krishna was in the river Yamunā enveloped by the serpent Kāliya and that all the boys and cows were lamenting, they simply began to think of Krishna’s friendship, His smiling face, His sweet words and His dealings with them. Thinking of all these and seeing that their Krishna was now within the clutches of Kāliya, they at once felt that the three worlds had become vacant. ... Nanda and all the other cowherd men, who had dedicated everything, including their lives, to Krishna, were ready to enter the waters of the Yamunā, but Lord Balarāma checked them because He was in perfect knowledge that there was no danger.


Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
“Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead”
Chapter 16: “Subduing Kāliya”

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