Varanasi: Ganga recedes at a faster pace now, flows near warning level

VARANASI: The pace of the receding water level of river Ganga increased on Thursday, however, the river continued to flow near warning level in Varanasi leaving a large number of urban and rural areas inundated.
Residents in the areas, which are getting clear of flood water, have started efforts to remove silt and mud while the district administration, health department and Varanasi Municipal Corporation have started efforts to combat vector-borne diseases by launching anti-mosquito larva fogging drive.
Busy in finalising strategies to combat post-flood challenges, district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma said that the speed of receding water level had become 6cm per hour in afternoon when the Ganga was flowing at 70.88 meter, half meter above the warning level of 70.26 meter. As many areas in the city and rural belt are still inundated, the relief operations continue in the district by providing cooked food, dry food kits, water, medicines, fodder and other essential articles in the affected areas, he said.
Sharma said that the VMC, zila panchayat and health department teams are being mobilised to launch anti-mosquito larva fogging drive in the areas affected by flood to put a check on the spread of vector-borne diseases.
The chief medical officer Dr Sandeep Chaudhary said that the teams of health department had also been kept in high alert mode in these areas to avoid spread of any epidemic.