Ganga water level inches closer to warning mark
At 8am on Monday, the river had crossed the 67.72-metre mark, continuing to rise steadily at a rate of 5cm per hour.
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The rising trend was not limited to Varanasi alone. According to the bulletin issued by the Middle Ganga Division of the Central Water Commission, the Ganga is witnessing similar rise in other eastern UP districts.
In Mirzapur, the river rose by 1.16 metre in the last 24 hours, while Varanasi recorded a 1.12 metre rise. Ghazipur and Ballia reported an increase of 0.66 and 0.56 metre, respectively. The rate of rise was measured at 5 cm per hour in both Varanasi and Mirzapur, and 4 cm per hour in Ghazipur and Ballia.
Despite the surge, the Ganga was still flowing below the danger mark across all affected districts.
According to latest information, in Ghazipur, the river was flowing 2.695 metre below the danger level while in Ballia, it was 1.075 metre below the danger mark. In Varanasi, it remained 4.542 metre below the mark and in Mirzapur, it was 4.374 metre below the warning level.
However, the rise in the water level has already affected normal life in Varanasi with several ghat steps and low-lying areas submerged, disrupting the daily activities. The interconnectivity of ghats has broken and the Ganga Aarti ceremony has been relocated due to inundation.
Meanwhile, authorities are closely monitoring the situation, prompting preparations to mitigate possible flooding in the coming days.
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