New Delhi, April 15 -- Due to heavy siltation of the Yamuna riverbed, the irrigation and flood control department has proposed raising the river's warning and danger marks to provide a more realistic marker for warning and evacuating residents in low-lying areas, officials said. According to officials, the Delhi government is considering raising the Yamuna's flood warning mark from 204.5 metres to 205 metres, and the danger mark from 205.33 metres to 205.75 metres. Officials said that the river's base levels have changed due to siltation and a lack of dredging over the years. The danger and warning levels depend on the threat perception in the area, and are decided in consultation with the state government. Delhi measures these base levels at the Old Delhi Railway Bridge. The office of the I&FC minister did not comment on the development. A senior official said the danger level was last revised in 2019 and needs reassessment following flooding episodes in the past five years. "These levels are now being attained even at low discharge levels from the upstream barrage because the carrying capacity of river sections has decreased due to base siltation. Attaining this level frequently causes panic," the official aware of the matter said. The Yamuna's highest level, recorded at 208.66m on July 13, 2023, flooded low-lying areas. Yamuna activist Bhim Singh Rawat said the 2023 floods exposed three key failures-poor flood forecasting, siltation of the river bed, and encroachments on the floodplain. He added that just changing the marks won't help and suggested a proper study....