Prayagraj: The water levels of Ganga and Yamuna rivers in Prayagraj rose sharply on Sunday, flooding both rural and urban areas and affecting over 1.5 lakh families. By Sunday morning, floodwaters reached 16 villages and seven city neighbourhoods. However, a marginal decline was recorded in water levels by Sunday afternoon, offering slight but crucial relief to local authorities who continue their flood management efforts under high alert.As per official data, on Sunday morning at 8:00am, the Yamuna at Naini surged by 56 cm to 83.19 meters—just 1.5 meters below the danger mark of 84.734 meters. The Ganga at Phaphamau stood at 83.06 meters, having risen by 45 cm, while at Chhatnag and Buxi STP, it reached 82.41 and 82.90 meters, respectively. However, by 4:00pm on Sunday, there was a notable decline: Yamuna at Naini dipped to 82.86 meters, and Ganga levels showed mixed readings—Phaphamau increased slightly to 83.09 meters (+1 cm), while Chhatnag and Buxi STP saw minor decline of 4 cm and 9 cm, respectively.By Saturday evening, two relief camps in Sadar Tehsil—Annie Besant Relief Camp and Cantt Marriage Hall—provided shelter to 50 people (36 and 14 respectively). With more areas submerged, these numbers are expected to rise significantly. The looming threat of water breaching homes remains especially high in low-lying areas like Baghdara, Salori, Beli, Rajapur, and Ashok Nagar. Abhishek Yadav, a resident of Baghdara, shared that he packed his essentials, fearing his house would soon be submerged.Local officials are conducting inspections in the worst-hit areas. SDM Abhishek Kumar Singh visited Daraganj, Salori, and Rajapur on Saturday, urging early evacuation. ADM (Finance and Revenue) Vinita Singh also visited flood-prone areas during Jan Sunwai and encouraged locals to stay prepared.Among the worst-affected neighbourhoods are Baghdara, Ganganagar, Nevadha, Dhrariya, and Beli Kachar. Rural areas such as Meja (Jharihari, Isota, Nawai, Chilbila, Bakasandi), Karachna (Bhagesar). Several locations in Sadar Tehsil (Kachamau, Tareiya, Rajapur, Abdullapur, Beli Kachar, and Uparhar) are also flooded. District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Mandar assured that relief efforts are in full swing. NDRF, SDRF, and civil defence teams are on the ground rescuing people via boats. In the Badra Sonoti region, 11 boats are ferrying residents after road connections were submerged.Although water rise slowed down—particularly the Yamuna which declined 8 cm between 8:00am and 4:00pm on Sunday—experts warn the danger isn’t over. Further rainfall upstream may trigger a new wave of flooding.The irrigation department reported controlled releases of 46,000 cusecs from Bhuraghat Barrage and 80,000 cusecs from Ken Barrage, expected to reach Prayagraj by Sunday night. Executive Engineer Digvijay Narayan Shukla said that while release rates decreased, significant pressure remains on both rivers. However, receding water in the Tons River may help alleviate the situation slightly.In light of these developments, officials remain on high alert, closely monitoring the situation and urging the public to prepare for possible evacuations if condition worsen.
