Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday asked residents of low-lying areas to shift to temporary shelters set up by authorities as the water level in the Yamuna river was expected to rise, PTI reported. The river breached the danger mark in the evening, and was flowing at 205.36 metres at 6 pm, 30 cm above the danger mark.

Traffic on the Old Yamuna Bridge, also known as Lohe ka Pul, was cut off by officials due to the rising water level of the river. The Delhi chief minister said that the next two days would be critical, but stressed that his government was prepared to tackle any situation.

Kejriwal held a meeting with ministers and high-ranking officials to assess the situation and also went over the arrangements made. Around 2,120 temporary shelters have been set up by the government with basic amenities.

Over 23,800 people would have to be shifted from low-lying areas, official estimates said. On Monday, Haryana released 1.87 lakh cusecs of water around 2 pm. The Hathnikund barrage in Haryana released 1.79 lakh cusecs into the river an hour later. Around 6 pm, Haryana released 1.43 lakh cusec of water into the river. Authorities said that the water level in Yamuna may rise further.

Kejriwal urged people not to panic and appealed to parents to ensure their children stayed away from the river. The Yamuna flows through six districts of Delhi where low-lying spots were likely to be flooded. The government has also deployed 30 boats to avoid accidental drowning.

The Delhi government on Sunday had issued a flood alert for the city and asked residents in low-lying areas to move to higher ground as water levels in the Yamuna inched close to a warning level. Haryana had released 8.28 lakh cusecs of water into the river on Sunday.