Rising Ganga floods more localities in urban, rural areas

Varanasi: As the Ganga continues to rise, flood water entered many more localities of the city as well as in the rural belts of the district on Tuesday, affecting the lives of over 30,000 people of 6,000 families.
The district administration and police have intensified relief operations to meet the basic requirements of the people stranded in their homes in low- lying areas on the banks of the Ganga and its tributaries, including Varuna. UP ministers Neelkanth Tiwari, Ravindra Jaiswal and Anil Rajbhar toured the marooned people in boats and gave them relief material.
According to the bulletin of the Central Water Commission’s Middle Ganga Division office, the water level of the Ganga in Varanasi, which had crossed the danger mark of 71.12-meter on Monday morning, crossed the mark of 71.88-meter and was increasing at the rate of 1cm to 2cm per hour.
As the rising trend in upstream at Phaphamu and Prayagraj has stopped, the officials expected that water level in the Ganga will become stable on Wednesday or Thursday before touching the highest flood level of 2016 when the river had gone up to 72.56-meter mark against all time high flood level (HFL) of 73.90-meter recorded in 1978. In 2013, the Ganga level had gone up to 72.63-meter.
In Mirzapur, the Ganga was flowing at 77.87-meter after crossing the danger mark of 77.72-meter and the rising trend was maintained. In Ghazipur, the river was flowing at 64.21-meter against the danger mark of 63.10-meter. The river was on a rampage in Ballia, where against the danger mark of 57.61-meter it was flowing at 59.67-meter and inching closer to an all-time high of 60.39-meter recorded on August 25, 2016.The overflowing Ganga has started flo oding villages in Varanasi’s Rohania area upstream and also in the belts of Chiragaon and Chaubeypur downstream. Many more residential colonies in Samneghat area have now been marooned while bodies were being taken to Manikarnika Ghat’s upper platform for cremation on boats. Further spread of flood water through river Varuna has marooned localities in Hukulganj, Raja Bazar of Nadesar. The Ganga s water has not only come on roads leading to the ghats, but problems like chocking of sewage have also been reported from many areas in the city.
In view of the worsening flood situation, UP minister of state (independent charge) for tourism and religious affairs Neelkanth Tiwari along with commissioner of police A Satish Ganesh and district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma toured the flood-hit areas along the river Varuna in a boat. Apart from distributing foodgrain and other essential articles among people staying at upper floors of their marooned homes, he also interacted with them to know their other requirements. Tiwari said, “The government and administration are ensuring that nobody in flood-hit areas remains empty stomach. Each ration pack being given to flood-hit people contains food material for 42 days. More relief will be ensured as per the requirement of the people.” Jaiswal and Rajbhar provided relief material to needy people in Dhelvaria and Salarpur Kotwa areas.
Regarding the flood menace, the DM said, “By Wednesday afternoon over 30,000 population of more than 6,000 families of urban and rural areas of Varanasi was affected. Of these, 2,838 people of over 600 families are in 21 relief camps. Hundreds of families have shifted to the places of their preference while many affected people are still staying at upper floors of their homes.”
“A total of 85 boats have been engaged for relief operations, food and essential article distribution and commuting of people staying in flood affected areas. Besides feeding people through 28 community kitchens, including 21 in relief camps, 1,900 packets of dry ration has been been distributed,” he said. He added, “from Wednesday morning distribution of milk packets and 200-litre water bottles will also be started in the flood-hit areas where people are staying in their homes. All the distribution work is being ensured through corporators and gram pradhans after seeking lists of requirement of flood-hit families.” The DM said, “The district administration is making all arrangements to continue the relief operations for next four-five days even if the level of the Ganga becomes stable on Wednesday or Thursday. It will take time of a few days to recede after which water will start clearing from the villages and urban localities.”