Life returning to normal in Kashi's flood-hit areas; classes resume
2
Varanasi: While lives of over 6,100 families, directly affected by floodwater entering their localities, have started returning to normal in the district, the normal functioning of schools began on Monday.
The survey of crop losses of 8,352 farmers was intensified, while Varanasi Municipal Corporation (VMC) accelerated the pace of silt removal and sanitation at ghats and streets that were inundated.
Monitoring the flood relief exercises closely, district magistrate Satyendra Kumar said that as the Ganga is flowing two metre below the warning level, the flood situation in the district is gradually returning to normal.
However, the flood relief camps are kept operational, he added.
The Ganga adopted a receding trend after reaching the 72.23-metre mark against the danger level of 71.26 metre. Due to this, the floodwaters entered 28 city localities, including in the Ganga upstream and on the banks of the Varuna's downstream. Approximately 6,100 families were affected by the flood, while 8,352 farmers suffered crop damages in over 2,208 hectares of land.
Officials said that a plot-to-plot survey of the damage is in progress to provide assistance under the agricultural investment grant.
The water surely drained, but post-flood challenges have left the officials, especially those of the health department and VMC, sweating. Chief Medical Officer Dr Sandeep Chaudhary camped in areas like Konia on Monday to supervise preventive measures being conducted by his department and also the VMC, such as bleaching powder sprinkling after waste disposal, utilising domestic mosquito breeding checkers hired from DUDA and spraying anti-larvae chemicals.
They inspected 1,710 homes, finding larvae in three and destroyed 3,215 mosquito breeding sources. Nodal officers are coordinating with the municipal corporation to monitor bleaching and anti-larvae spraying. Under the door-to-door drive for fever tracking and distribution of chlorine tablets, a total of 1,123 fever patients were tested so far, the CMO said, adding that ASHA workers distributed a total of 60,796 tablets so far.
Currently, four flood posts are operational at primary schools in Salarpur, City Girls School in Bari Bazar, Saraiya and Rampur Dhaba, with eight medical teams deployed in two shifts. So far, 163 diarrhoea patients and 286 skin disease patients, totalling 2,420 patients, have been treated at the flood posts. A total of 1,741 ORS packets have been distributed at these posts.
Regarding VMC's priorities, additional municipal commissioner Savita Yadav said that at Manikarnika Ghat, Satuwa Baba Ashram, Dashashwamedh Ghat, Sheetla Ghat, Assi Ghat, Konia and Dhelwaria, the teams are promptly clearing silt and spraying sodium hypochlorite, lime, bleaching powder and fogging.
As people return home from municipal-run flood relief camps, sodium hypochlorite, lime, bleaching powder and fogging are being conducted in areas where water levels have decreased.
At Sheetla Ghat, the municipal corporation is putting full effort into cleaning the accumulated mud.
The officials highlighted that during the flood relief operation, 6,012 flood relief kits, 7,004 quintals of fodder, 114,322 lunch packets, 17,406 bananas, 10,272 milk packets, 3,492 ORS packets, 48,808 chlorine tablets, 166 water cans and 582 dignity kits were distributed.
Special arrangements were made for senior citizens, pregnant women and disabled individuals residing in flood relief camps. Relief materials, milk, and drinking water are distributed to the homes of flood-affected families.
Real-time monitoring of flood-affected areas was conducted with the help of Smart City and 3D mapping was used for continuous surveillance. A 24/7 flood control room is operational to address public grievances, with active participation from district administration, health, electricity, education, police, NDRF and other officials and staff.
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Life returning to normal in Kashi's flood-hit areas; classes resume
1 2 Varanasi: While lives of over 6,100 families, directly affected by floodwater entering their localities, have started returning to normal in the district, the normal functioning of schools began on Monday. The survey of crop losses of 8,352 farmers was intensified, while Varanasi Municipal Corporation (VMC) accelerated the pace of silt removal and sanitation at ghats and streets that were inundated. Monitoring the flood relief exercises closely, district magistrate Satyendra Kumar said that as the Ganga is flowing two metre below the warning level, the flood situation in the district is gradually returning to normal. However, the flood relief camps are kept operational, he added. The Ganga adopted a receding trend after reaching the 72.23-metre mark against the danger level of 71.26 metre. Due to this, the floodwaters entered 28 city localities, including in the Ganga upstream and on the banks of the Varuna's downstream. Approximately 6,100 families were affected by the flood, while 8,352 farmers suffered crop damages in over 2,208 hectares of land. Officials said that a plot-to-plot survey of the damage is in progress to provide assistance under the agricultural investment grant. The water surely drained, but post-flood challenges have left the officials, especially those of the health department and VMC, sweating. Chief Medical Officer Dr Sandeep Chaudhary camped in areas like Konia on Monday to supervise preventive measures being conducted by his department and also the VMC, such as bleaching powder sprinkling after waste disposal, utilising domestic mosquito breeding checkers hired from DUDA and spraying anti-larvae chemicals. They inspected 1,710 homes, finding larvae in three and destroyed 3,215 mosquito breeding sources. Nodal officers are coordinating with the municipal corporation to monitor bleaching and anti-larvae spraying. Under the door-to-door drive for fever tracking and distribution of chlorine tablets, a total of 1,123 fever patients were tested so far, the CMO said, adding that ASHA workers distributed a total of 60,796 tablets so far. Currently, four flood posts are operational at primary schools in Salarpur, City Girls School in Bari Bazar, Saraiya and Rampur Dhaba, with eight medical teams deployed in two shifts. So far, 163 diarrhoea patients and 286 skin disease patients, totalling 2,420 patients, have been treated at the flood posts. A total of 1,741 ORS packets have been distributed at these posts. Regarding VMC's priorities, additional municipal commissioner Savita Yadav said that at Manikarnika Ghat, Satuwa Baba Ashram, Dashashwamedh Ghat, Sheetla Ghat, Assi Ghat, Konia and Dhelwaria, the teams are promptly clearing silt and spraying sodium hypochlorite, lime, bleaching powder and fogging. As people return home from municipal-run flood relief camps, sodium hypochlorite, lime, bleaching powder and fogging are being conducted in areas where water levels have decreased. At Sheetla Ghat, the municipal corporation is putting full effort into cleaning the accumulated mud. The officials highlighted that during the flood relief operation, 6,012 flood relief kits, 7,004 quintals of fodder, 114,322 lunch packets, 17,406 bananas, 10,272 milk packets, 3,492 ORS packets, 48,808 chlorine tablets, 166 water cans and 582 dignity kits were distributed. Special arrangements were made for senior citizens, pregnant women and disabled individuals residing in flood relief camps. Relief materials, milk, and drinking water are distributed to the homes of flood-affected families. Real-time monitoring of flood-affected areas was conducted with the help of Smart City and 3D mapping was used for continuous surveillance. A 24/7 flood control room is operational to address public grievances, with active participation from district administration, health, electricity, education, police, NDRF and other officials and staff. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
