PRAYAGRAJ, Aug. 21 -- Rising water levels in the Ganga and Yamuna rivers have heightened flood concerns across Prayagraj, with the district administration is on alert as low-lying areas and villages begin to experience the impact of rising floodwaters. Simultaneously, damage to the Belan River bridge on the Sirsa-Koraon State Highway forced authorities to suspend traffic, disrupting a key road link between Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. According to data from the Flood Control Room, both major rivers continued to rise on Thursday. At 8 am, the Ganga at Phaphamau was recorded at 80.57 metres, a 26 mm rise over the previous 24 hours, while the Yamuna at Naini reached 79.93 metres, also recording a 26 mm increase. The danger mark for both rivers is 84.73 metres. The recent surge has been rapid; between the morning of August 18 and the evening of August 19, the Ganga rose by 44 cm and the Yamuna by 73 cm. At Chhatnag, where the rivers converge, the combined water level increased by 71 cm. Officials expect this upward trend to continue, driven by water releases from the Kanpur and Haridwar barrages, along with the Narora and Matatila dams. Additional inflows from the Ken, Betwa, Chambal and Tons rivers, compounded by heavy rainfall across Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi-NCR, western Uttar Pradesh and Bundelkhand, have further aggravated the situation. DN Shukla, executive engineer of the irrigation department's flood division, warned that water levels could rise by as much as two more metres. He noted that floodwaters are expected to reach the Hanuman temple near Sangam, potentially submerging the Bade Hanumanji idol, a phenomenon that typically occurs when the Ganga crosses 81.55 metres. Floodwaters have begun to surround more than 100 villages across the tehsils of Karchhana, Meja, Bara, Soraon, Phulpur and Handia. In the Yamunanagar zone, heavy rainfall over the past three days caused the Belan River to swell dramatically, leading to erosion along Koraon tehsil. The increased pressure damaged a joint on the Belan River bridge on the Sirsa-Koraon State Highway. As a precaution, the public works department (PWD) has halted vehicular movement, cutting the road connection between Koraon and Devghat. Barricades have been erected, and motorists are being diverted....