Rise in Ganga level posing a challenge for Kalpavasis, seers
PRAYAGRAJ : After showing an increasing trend for the past three days, the level of the Ganga became stable on Saturday thereby providing some relief to a sizable number of seers and Kalpavasis staying in their Magh Mela camps and devotees coming to the annual religious fair.
Mela administration is constantly monitoring the situation and providing all help to the affected devotees.
The volume of river water, which in previous years has been quite shallow and in fact prompted the Allahabad high court to intervene and ask the authorities concerned to release extra water in the Ganga, is this time flowing 107 cm more than last year as on Friday due to which water has entered a number of Magh Mela camps and thereby creating problems to camping Kalpavasis and seers.
Although, on Saturday, the level of water came down a bit but is expected to again start rising following release of more water from Ganga barrage of Kanpur.
The increased level of water has caused erosion of river banks and water from Ganga is entering into the camps of sector 2 and 3 of the tent city. While people were shifted to safer places, authorities are also putting up sand bags to check the erosion of the banks by the strong currents of the Ganga.
Divisional commissioner Sanjay Goyal along with officiating mela adhikari Arvind Kumar Chauhan and others took stock of the situation and instructed the authorities to provide solution to the problems arising out of the rise in the Ganga.
The irrigation department has been ordered to check the water entering the mela area at Gangdweep, Sector 2, Sector 3 and other affected sites of the tent city. The divisional commissioner has also asked for an increase in the number of manpower, tractors and pumps to remove the water from the affected area.
During the inspection, Goyal also expressed his displeasure over the slow action being taken by the officials of the Jal Nigam. He has directed all the officers
THE INCREASED LEVEL OF WATER HAS CAUSED EROSION OF RIVER BANKS AND WATER FROM GANGA IS ENTERING INTO THE CAMPS OF SECTOR 2 AND 3 OF THE TENT CITY.
concerned to pour more sand in the affected areas and to drain out the water continuously by installing more pumps.
“Due to the rise in water level, the process of shifting all the affected 44 institutions and Prayagwals of Gangadweep to Sector 5 and to provide all the basic facilities has already started. But as many devotees do not want to shift to Sector 5, we are taking a written consent from those who do not want to move despite being provided with all the basic facilities”, said the Mela Adhikari.
Commenting on the rising Ganga water, head of the geography department, Allahabad University, and weather expert prof AR Siddiqui said, “It is because of the heavy rainfall in the Himalayan region and as farmers do not use much water in their fields owing to rains along with low usage of water for irrigation during Rabi crops, the volume of water in Ganga is fairly more this time around.”