River Ganga Floods Ghats in Varanasi, No Place to Cremate the Dead

Image used for representational purposes 

(Photo: The Quint/Abhishek Ranjan)

Heavy rainfall in Uttar Pradesh has led to River Ganga flooding the ghats in Varanasi. The cremation grounds in Manikarnika and Harishchandra are inundated and hence, impeding the cremation process. The Assi and Shitala ghats have been submerged as well.

Ceaseless rain has caused River Ganga’s water level to rise above the danger mark.

Besides the Ganga, River Varuna is perilous too. Rains have battered many parts of north India, leading to floods in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

In Uttar Pradesh, through which many major rivers flow, 19 people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents while in Punjab, several villages were submerged on Thursday, 22 August after Pakistan opened the gates of headworks on the Sutlej River.

In Delhi, water of River Yamuna receded below the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Thursday. The level was crossed on Monday and subsequently, rail traffic over the old Yamuna Bridge was suspended between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon.

Scant rainfall was recorded in a few areas of the national capital on Thursday, which continued to experience sultry weather.

As many as 17 villages in Punjab’s border district Ferozepur were flooded after Pakistan opened the gates of headworks on the Sutlej River. Several villages of Ferozepur were flooded because of the recent rains and breaches in the embankments of the river.