Ganga Nears Warning Level in Varanasi, 1,574 People Displaced as Flood Situation Worsens

Flooding has begun to take hold in Varanasi. The Ganga's water level has reached its warning point and is rising at a rate of 2 centimetres per hour, while people living near the Varuna River have started leaving their homes. A total of 361 families — 1,574 people in all — have left their houses and taken shelter in flood relief camps or with relatives. According to the Meteorological Department at Banaras Hindu University, heavy rain is expected in Kashi over the next two days, which could add to residents' difficulties.

Boats Deployed in Flooded Lanes

Rising river levels have sent floodwater into Sama Ghat, Salarpur and more than ten other riverside localities. Several families have been living in flood relief camps for the past 15 days after water entered their homes. The surge in the Ganga has submerged all the major ghats of Kashi. At Manikarnika and Harishchandra ghats, rising water has pushed cremations onto rooftops and into the lanes. Boats are now being used to navigate waterlogged streets, and people are seen carrying bodies to rooftops through the floodwater. At Assi Ghat, the Subah-e-Banaras stage has also been fully submerged.

Following the continuous rise in the Ganga, the Naad and Gomti rivers have also gone into spate. As a result, the road from Dharhara to Bela has gone under water, cutting off the connecting route. The rise in the Ganga has also sent floodwater into fields in the Dhab area. On both banks of the Sota, low-lying farmland in Gobarha, Rampur and Mustafabad has been completely submerged, causing heavy losses for farmers, whose vegetable, flower and paddy crops had been planted there.

NDRF Deployed to Evacuate Residents

The district administration has stepped up monitoring of areas along the Ganga and Varuna rivers. NDRF and water police teams have been deployed to move flood-affected families to safe locations, and separate arrangements have been made for those in relief camps. The administration said affected families are being provided clean food and water three to four times a day, and a team of doctors has been deployed to look after children and the elderly. Officials said an assessment of flood damage is underway, and appropriate compensation will be given to those affected.