Prayagraj floods | Ganga, Yamuna flow 1 metre above danger mark

The flood situation in the district remained grim as the Ganga and the Yamuna continued to flow above the danger level at two of the three measuring points on Sunday evening

The flood situation in the district remained grim as the Ganga and the Yamuna continued to flow above the danger level at two of the three measuring points on Sunday evening.

Flood affected low-lying areas of Prayagraj on Sunday. (Anil Kumar Maurya/HT)

The two rivers were recorded flowing over 1 metre above the danger level mark of 84.734 metre at two measuring points, officials said. The level of water is increasing in both the rivers at the rate of 2 cm every two hours as on 6pm, they added.

Due to this, the administration shifted more people to relief camps where till Sunday noon around 6,200 people of 1,327 families including 505 children had taken shelter in 19 relief camps. By 6pm around 6,512 people of 1,401 families including 550 children had taken refuge in 21 relief camps.

At 8 am on Sunday, water level in the Ganga was recorded at 85.71 meter at Phaphamau and this increased to 85.77 metre by 4pm and touched 85.81 meter by 6pm. Likewise, the Ganga at Chhatnag was flowing at 84.89 metre at 8am whereas at 4pm, the water level reached 85.05 meter and then maintained a stable trend and did not rise further till 6pm.

The Yamuna was flowing at 85.67 metre in Naini at 8am and the water level increased by around 13 cm. At 4pm the river was flowing at 85.05 metre and reached 85.82 metre by 6pm.

The danger level of both rivers is 84.734 meter in Prayagraj. Highest flood level (HFL) that the Ganga attained in 1978 at the three sites where the water levels are measured was 97.980 metre for Ganga at Phaphamau, 88.030 metre at Chhatnag and 97.990 metre at Naini.

The flood control department officials expect both the rivers to stop their rising trend and become stable in the next 12 hours and are keeping a close watch.

“Tributaries of the Ganga and the Yamuna are stable now which is a relief but still we have to be watchful for the next 24 hours as it is only from Monday that the water may start receding in Prayagraj,” said Brijesh Kumar Verma, executive engineer, flood control.

Meanwhile, ADM, finance and revenue, Jagdamba Singh, who is the district nodal in-charge of affairs, related to all natural disasters, said, “Relief camps have been set up by the district administration at various places near the flood affected rural and urban areas. The administration is also distributing flood relief material to locals who are staying back in their houses.”

The official said that 269 boats too had been deployed to help people.

District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Khatri in the evening visited a number of relief camps and inspected the status of shelter and food being provided to the flood-hit people.

Meanwhile, the team leader of 11th Battalion of NDRF, Brijesh Kumar Tiwari said that the NDRF team was making every effort to rescue all those trapped in houses in the flood-affected areas.

“The NDRF is continuously patrolling flood-affected areas and making the locals aware about the situation so that people leave their houses and come to relief camps or other safe places and NDRF team will help them in every way,” said Tiwari.