Varanasi/Prayagraj, 04 Aug

(HS): In Uttar Pradesh, heavy

rains have caused flooding in 13 districts, while major rivers including as the

Ganga, Yamuna, and Betwa are running over the danger level in some locations,

authorities said on Monday. According to a relief commissioner's office report,

the Ganga is over the danger line in Varanasi, Mirzapur, Ghazipur, and Ballia,

while the Yamuna is above the red mark in Auraiya, Kalpi, Hamipur, Prayagraj,

and Banda.Betwa flows above the danger level in Hamirpur, according to the

report. On Sunday, the state got 14.2 mm of rainfall, with 24 districts

reporting significant rainfall. According to the study, 13 districts in the

state are now experiencing flooding, including Prayagraj, Jalaun, Auraiya,

Mirzapur, Varanasi, Kanpur Dehat, Banda, Etawah, Fatehpur, Kanpur City, and

Chitrakoot.

The water level of

the Ganga river in Varanasi reached a dangerous level on Monday morning,

flooding ghats and prompting authorities to relocate cremation and other

religious activities to rooftops and high platforms, officials said. According

to the Central Water Commission, the Ganga was flowing at 72.1 metres on Monday

morning, exceeding the danger threshold of 71.262 metres. According to Shivam

Agrahari of Ganga Seva Nidhi, all of the ghats have been flooded, preventing

access. The famous Ganga 'aarti' at the Dashashwamedh ghat is now held on

roofs, while cremations at the Manikarnika and Harishchandra ghats take place

on raised platforms. As a precaution, district officials have banned running of

boats in the river.

Teams from the

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are monitoring flood-affected regions

and transporting trapped people to safer locations, according to officials. Due

to severe rains in Prayagraj over the previous several days, the water level of

the Ganga and Yamuna has risen over the danger line of 84.73 meters since

Saturday, flooding more than 200 villages in the district and around 60

settlements in the city.

According to district administration statistics, the water level of the Yamuna

river in Naini was 86.04 metres at 8 a.m. on Monday, while the Ganga river was

86.03 metres in Phaphamau. The district administration has halted teaching at

schools in order to set up flood relief camps for residents of the city's

flood-affected neighborhoods.

According to

officials, flooding have impacted 107 wards and communities in the city, with

Rajapur, Beli Kachhar, Chandpur Salori, Govindpur, Chhota Baghada, and Bada

Baghada being particularly hard hit. In rural regions, the flood has affected

18 villages in Phulpur tehsil, eight in Soraon, twelve in Meja, eight in Bara

tehsil, and six in Handia.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi