Ghaziabad: The irrigation department and district administration have set up a flood monitoring cell along Yamuna in Loni and fortified the Alipore embankment. A permanent office has been established at Panchayara, where sandbags and construction material have been stockpiled to plug a breach if needed. Officials said the water level had risen marginally and there is no cause for concern at present.The water discharge at the Okhla barrage is currently recorded at around 10,000 cusecs against a design capacity of 3 lakh cusecs. A flood-like situation typically arises when discharge crosses 1 lakh cusecs. Alipur, Navada, Badarpur, Mirpur Hindu and the Tronica City industrial area in Loni were heavily affected after the embankment had breached in 2023 and 2024. Loni areas vulnerable to flood also include Panchayara, Elaichipur and Lutfullapur villages.“This time we are not leaving things to chance, and preparations have already been made. The irrigation department has also set up watchtowers and is keeping a round-the-clock vigil. The water level has risen but marginally, and there is no reason to worry as of now,” said Binod Kumar Singh, executive engineer, irrigation department.Of the 18km Alipore embankment, which runs along Yamuna, 9.6km falls in Loni while the rest is under Baghpat district. The embankment can withstand water pressure in excess of 2 lakh cusecs.“For the past three years, Loni has been witnessing floods, with the flood of 2023 being the worst because it breached the Alipore embankment, inundating about 142 hectares. The floodwater affected more than six villages, and people had to be evacuated,” said Ramandand Singh, a farmer from Panchayara village.The farmer said that while the situation seems under control so far, locals are concerned that rain in the hills will lead to flooding here. “The irrigation department claims the embankment has been fortified and there’s no cause for alarm. They said they are ready to deal with a flood situation if one arises. We hope that this year doesn’t see a repeat of the last couple of monsoons,” he added.The administration is also keeping a tab on illegal houses and settlements constructed in the Yamuna floodplains, officials said.
