Ganga, Sharda water levels recede in UP, flood-like conditions persist

Ganga and Sharda river levels receded in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, but flood-like conditions persisted in low-lying areas. Varanasi faced waterlogging and sewage accumulation, while Sharda remained above danger level in Lakhimpur Kheri, inundating fields and village corridors

Varanasi/Lakhimpur Kheri (UP): Water levels of the Ganga, Varuna and Sharda rivers in Uttar Pradesh were receding on Sunday, with officials monitoring the situation as flood-like conditions prevailed in the low-lying areas, where residents complained of waterlogging and sewage accumulation.

According to a Central Water Commission bulletin, the Ganga water level in Varanasi dropped to 69.76 metres on Sunday at 2 pm from 70.29 metres on September 4. The danger level is 70.26 metres. The bulletin said the water level in the Ganga was receding at a rate of 1 centimetre per hour.

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According to Varanasi administration officials, rising water levels in the Ganga and Varuna rivers had led to waterlogging and flood-like conditions in low-lying areas. In the Kashmiriganj-Gurudham area, BJP MLA Saurabh Srivastava faced public ire when he visited the site on Saturday after rainwater and sewage accumulated in the area.

Srivastava was met with “murdabad” slogans when he tried to inspect the site and was eventually turned away by the angry public. In Lakhimpur Kheri, the water level of the Sharda river also saw a marginal decline since Saturday night, officials said.

The water discharge from Banbasa barrage in Uttarakhand’s Champawat district decreased on Sunday, resulting in a drop in the river’s water level at the Pallia bridge in Kheri. According to Banbasa barrage officials, the water discharge into the Sharda was reduced to 1,22,800 cusec by Sunday 2 pm, compared to 1,25,310 cusec recorded at 10 pm on Saturday.

Speaking to PTI, Pallia’s Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Pushpak said, “Water level in Sharda has decreased slightly, though it was still about 18 cm above the danger mark. The overflowing Sharda has inundated the agricultural fields and village corridors in a few areas of Pallia tehsil. However, no reports of villages having been flooded have been received so far.”

When asked about a small temple eroded by the overflowing Sharda in Dhakiya village of Bijua area, the SDM said it was located on the outskirts of the village along the banks of the river which had been swept away. The main temple in the village, however, was still safe, he said.

Several villages in Nighasan and Lakhimpur tehsils have reported flooding due to the overflowing Sharda and intermittent rains since Saturday. Kheri District Magistrate (DM) Anjani Kumar Singh, along with SDM Nighasan Yaduveer Singh, reached flooded villages, including Randauha of Nighasan tehsil, first by tractor and then on foot through knee-deep waters. According to officials, the DM assured flood-affected villagers of all possible and assistance.