The Ganga River is approaching its warning level, and its tributaries are also overflowing. In Varanasi, the rising waters of the Ganga have caused flooding in the Varuna, Gomti, and Nad rivers, impacting riverside villages and agricultural lands. The number of displaced individuals in relief camps is increasing.
According to the Central Water Commission, if the Ganga’s water level continues to rise for another 24 hours, it will surpass the warning point at the Rajghat gauge. The warning level is 70.26 meters, the danger mark is 71.26 meters, and the highest recorded level is 73.90 meters. On Saturday night, the water level at the gauge was 70.06 meters, just 20 cm below the warning point. The Ganga’s water level was increasing at a rate of one centimeter per hour.
A stone piece jammed the gate of the Gyan Pravah drain at Samne Ghat, causing it to open and allowing Ganga water to inundate colonies up to two kilometers inland. Officials from the irrigation department and divers worked to remove the stone and close the gate. Local residents accused irrigation department employees of negligence, but the Chief Engineer explained that the gate is automatic and a stone piece had become stuck.
Water is also continuously entering from the Nagwa drain, and in Ramna, water is now moving towards higher areas, submerging vegetable crops. Due to the reverse flow of the Ganga, the Varuna River is rapidly expanding into populated areas. On Saturday, the Varuna River’s water entered Shailputri Marg in Saraiya, affecting over three hundred houses. Some residents have sought refuge with neighbors, while others are living in tents on the road.
In Salarpur, the Chameliya Basti, Depot Colony, and the lower areas near Punjabi Hospital are waterlogged. 160 families have taken shelter in Primary School Salarpur and Vidya Vihar Inter College. Councilor Hanuman Prasad stated that if the water level rises by another two to three feet, the situation will worsen.
In the Lohta area, Varuna’s water has entered several riverside villages like Bharthara (Mathurapura), Bedauli, Chhitauni, Koraut, and Veer Singh Pur, submerging Kharif crops such as maize, moong (green gram), urd (black gram), bajra (pearl millet), arhar (pigeon pea), and various vegetables. Farmers are particularly concerned about fodder for their animals.
The rising water levels in the Gomti and Nad rivers have created fear of floods in dozens of riverside villages in the Chaubepur area, including Gaurauparwar, Muridpur, Sarsaul, Chandravati, Dhakwa, Kaithi, Rajwari, Lakshmisenpur, Tekuri, Dhaurahra, Saraiya, Pipri, and Shivdasha. According to Pipri’s head, Mangal Yadav, hundreds of acres of paddy, bajra, sugarcane, and vegetable crops have been destroyed by the flood in Gomti, and the village is surrounded by water. The bridge connecting Dhaurahra to Pipri village is submerged, but people are still using it.
In the Dhab area of Chiraigaon, the flood slowly began moving towards populated areas on Saturday. Three families from Rampur’s Dalit Basti, namely Gulab, Lalji, and Gullu, had their houses surrounded by water. Nayab Tehsildar Surekha Verma relocated them and their livestock to the relief camp set up in Primary School Rampur.
Former MP Ram Kishun Yadav visited flood-affected areas in Chiraigaon block and met with farmers. Farmers reported that fodder crops were the most affected, and if fodder is not arranged in time, milk production could be impacted. The former MP requested District Magistrate Satyendra Kumar to provide adequate facilities to farmers and livestock owners.
The affected tehsil is Sadar, and affected villages include Rampur Dhab. Affected wards/localities are Salarpur, Saraiya, Nakkighat, Dhelwaria, Nai Bazar, Daniyalpur, and Hukulganj. The total number of people residing in flood relief camps is 587, and 499 people are residing in other locations, making the total number of displaced people 1079. There are 8 operational flood relief camps: Primary School Salarpur, Primary School Saraiya, Madarsa Batlohiya Chitrakoot, Convent School Nakkighat, Navodaya Vidyalaya Daniyalpur, Ram Janaki Mandir Dhelwaria, Dipti Convent School Hukulganj, and City Girls School Badi Bazar.
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