Keeping up with UP: How many more floods can the iconic ghats of Varanasi bear?
The link between the Ganga and Shiva was reinforced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who envisioned the construction of a ₹900-crore Kashi Vishwanath Corridor connecting the ancient temple of Shiva with the Ganga.
Inaugurated by him in December 2021, the corridor was meant to facilitate the pilgrims to follow their age-old custom of taking a dip in the Ganga, collecting the holy water and offering it to the deity of Baba Vishwanath.
Many in Varanasi start their day with the blessings of Shiva. While darshan at the Kashi Vishwanath temple remains unaffected as it is located at an elevated level, the tradition of collecting Ganga Jal for offering at the temple remains suspended as all the 84 iconic ghats, including the Ganga Dwar, have been inundated, forcing the organisers to move up the daily aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat and the last rites of moksha-seekers at Manikarnika Ghat to the terrace. But increasing encroachments and construction activities at the Ganga basin and erosion of its iconic ghats continue unchecked and unattended, as the city's infrastructure increasingly bears the pressure of the growing local population and of pilgrims.
Is it time for the authorities to start looking at the protection of the world-famous spiritual Varanasi and its beautiful ghats, especially in view of climate change wreaking havoc in several parts of the country?
Vishwanath Pandey, formerly associated with the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), remembered how the university founder Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya had not allowed any construction activity on 28 acres of land on the Ganga banks. 'Today, we have a trauma centre, which obviously got flooded. The river banks have been occupied. Perhaps the authorities may like to revisit the ongoing construction activity at Namo Ghat. The prime minister, who has pumped in huge funds for the development of the city, has fortunately shifted focus from South to North. This comes as a major reprieve.'
The 84 iconic ghats are often described as a university of the city's cultural, social and spiritual heritage and are desperately calling for immediate attention.
Dr VN Mishra from BHU, son of the renowned Vishambher Nath Mishra, the Mahant of Sankat Mochan temple, has been organising Ghat walks and OPD at Ghats for several years. His demand: insurance for all the centuries' old ghats as they are the rarest of rare in the world.
These structures have their own protective mechanisms in the form of wings and Burj structures. When the water current hits these wings, it prevents the current from directly impacting the structure. These wings divert the current away. The other structure called the Burj stands tall and does the same work. However, damage has been done to ghats and their base over the years and about 20-25 of them may collapse if renovation is not done.
Mishra cited the case of Tulsi Ghat, which tilted by a foot in the 1948 floods, the second highest till now, as the first current of the flood water struck it directly. Thereafter, Burjs were made and are now diverting water away from the ghat. Even after renovation, their bases have corroded.
The locals feel that renovation should be done without disturbing the cultural heritage of the ghats. This includes honouring the legacy of the Dom Raja and his role in performing last rites, maintaining the sanctity of the divine aarti, supporting the boatmen, and safeguarding the local traditions and ceremonies.
In 2016, three professors of BHU conducted a study on 'Flood Risk and Impact: Analysis of Varanasi' city region. It covered the inundation of Varanasi city both due to flood water as well as storm water during the 2013 and 2016 floods.
The report was published in the Journal of Scientific Research, Volume 66, Issue 1, 2022 . Here are some observations:
'There used to be around 94 ponds/kunds in 1822 and at present only 22 out of these 94 are left. Rest have disappeared. During heavy rains, there is backflow of sewage and subsequent water-logging because of addition of storm water collection and concentration in low-lying areas especially the flood basin zone,' the study said.
It added: 'The flood of 1978 standing at 73.90m, losses were not much and the number of submerged houses in the 2013 flood were more. The reason is, many areas which were empty and sparsely built-up areas in 1978 were gradually occupied by dense urban space by 2013. This is the reason, though the flood of 2013 stood at 72.94m, it resulted in much loss and suffering.'
'The flood of August 2016 stood at 72.56m. Depending on the situation and location, the individual buildings at certain places (south east of Varanasi and along the rivers Varuna and Assi) in 70-74m zone were submerged up to about 2-3m above their plinth level There was widespread waterlogging in the interior of the city because of the backflow and blocking of sewage. As it is, the storm water drainage in the city is very poor and is not properly interconnected,' the study noted.
The report said a flood standing at 74m would affect about 17 sq. km. of area and about 4.42 lakhs of people. With extreme rainfall events becoming more frequent, a flood level between 74-75m is a possible occurrence and this just one-meter increase of flood would alone envelope 2.32 lakhs of people in about 9 sq. km. of area. In the worst scenario, the flood going above 76m would submerge almost three-fourths of the city. It crossed the highest mark of 72.23 metres on August 5
Their suggestions included:
To have at least 4-5m of plinth elevation from the local ground level in floodplain areas. Unfortunately, this general unwritten rule is more flouted than followed.
Water-logging because of sewage backflow and storm water concentration cannot be controlled but blockage of drains can be prevented.
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