UP: Ganga waters recede, ghats in Varanasi remain submerged

The water level of the Ganga receded more on Thursday but the dead still had to wait their turn for cremation at Varanasi's flooded ghats.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on Wednesday conducted an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas, including Varanasi, and distributed relief material.

Areas around the banks of Ganga and Varuna rivers in Varanasi, including those lying between Assi Ghat and Namo Ghat, are still submerged.

The road from Assi Ghat to Nagwa is flooded while some of the streets in Lanka locality remain submerged.

People coming to the Manikarnika and Harishchandra Ghats in the city for cremating their loved ones are facing difficulties and have to wait for hours.

According to the Central Water Commission, the water level of Ganga which stood at 71.96 metres on Wednesday morning came down to 71.10 metres on Thursday morning. The water level is decreasing at the rate of 4 cm per hour, a senior official said.

Relief work is being carried out on a war footing in the flood-affected areas of Varanasi, officials said.

Twenty-one flood relief camps are functional in the district in which a total of 4,267 people from 874 families are presently living, a senior official of the district administration said.

Food, water and medical facilities are also being provided to the people in the flood-affected areas, he said, adding 40 medical teams have been formed for the people living in the relief camps.

For those in the rural areas, fodder is being distributed for livestock along with vaccination and medical facilities, he said.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Sandeep Chaudhary said a team of doctors is available with adequate medicines at all the flood posts.

For those who are not able to reach the flood posts, medical facilities are being provided at home, the CMO said, adding that the teams are reaching the flood-affected areas by boats.

Chlorine tablets and ORS packets are being distributed continuously in the flood-affected areas, the CMO added.

In Bhadohi, flood-hit people have started returning to their homes as the water level of the Ganga has receded, although about 300 people from three villages are still living in relief camps set up by the administration in two schools.

District Magistrate, Bhadohi, Aryaka Akhouri had on Tuesday said hundreds of acres of crops in 26 villages of Gyanpur tehsil are inundated while 15 boats and two motorboats are engaged in relief and rescue work.

In Mirzapur, DM Praveen Kumar Lakshkar directed the concerned officials to make preparations to prevent spread of diseases and ensure distribution of necessary medicines and vaccination of animals besides proper cleanliness.

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