PRAYAGRAJ, Sept. 9 -- The Ganga in Prayagraj is steadily rising, standing just 72 centimeters below the official danger mark of 84.73 meters as of 4pm on Monday. At Phaphamau, the river measured 83.81 meters at 8am and rose to 84.01 meters by 4pm, increasing at a rate of around 3.5 cm per hour. If the current pace continues, the Ganga is expected to cross the danger mark by Tuesday. Over the past 24 hours-from Sunday 8am to Monday 8am-the river rose 85 centimeters at Phaphamau and 72 centimeters at Chhatnag, indicating a sharp upward trend. In contrast, the Yamuna is rising at a comparatively slower rate, increasing 69 centimeters at Naini during the same period.Earlier, the Yamuna was surging faster than the Ganga, but that trend appears to have reversed. As of Monday morning, the Ganga was recorded at 83.81 meters in Phaphamau and 83.11 meters in Chhatnag, while the Yamuna stood at 83.68 meters in Naini. By 12 noon, the Ganga was recorded at 83.93 meters in Phaphamau before reaching 84.01 metres by 4pm, 83.19 meters in Chhatnag before touching 83.25 metres at 4pm and 83.81 meters at Bakshi STP before reaching 83.85 metres by 4pm, while the Yamuna stood at 83.75 meters in Naini at 12 noon and reached 83.81 metres by 4pm. If the water level rises above 84 meters at most of the measuring sites, large parts of the city are at risk of severe flooding. Digvijay Narayan Shukla, executive engineer at the irrigation department, said the water levels in both the Ganga and Yamuna are expected to continue rising for two more days. With the Ganga is already flooding its surrounding low-lying areas, the neighborhoods along the Sasur Khaderi river, such as Kareli and Kalindipuram, are also now under threat. Water from the Sasur Khaderi has entered areas like Gaddha Colony and Gausnagar in Kareli. Earlier, when the Ganga reached a level of 83 meters, floodwaters had already entered homes in neighborhoods such as Chhota Baghada, Beli, and Mau Saraiya. As water began seeping into houses, residents were forced to evacuate and take shelter in relief camps. By Saturday night, only the relief camp at the Cantonment Guest House was operational. On Sunday, additional shelters were opened at Annie Besant School and Mehmood Ali School. So far, around 242 families (1060 individuals) have taken refuge in the four camps as on Monday evening, with the Cantonment Marriage Hall sheltering the highest number-76 families (approximately 310 people) followed by Annie Besant Intermediate School housing 35 families (around 150 people), and Mehbub Ali Inter College that is sheltering 80 families . Due to the rising water levels in the Ganga, about 70 villages have been affected by flooding. While the stabilization of the Yamuna at Chillaghat offers some hope, more than 400,000 cusecs were released from the Kanpur Barrage for the second consecutive day on Sunday....