Ganga level close to danger mark

With incessant rains lashing the city and hilly areas of the state for the past two days, the Ganga water level has shot up at an alarming rate, reaching 294 m, precariously close to the danger mark.

The swollen river is now merely a metre away from crossing the danger level, said SDO headworks of the upper Ganga canal VVS Yadav. This has left the irrigation department at high alert. Floods are anticipated in Luxor, Jwalapur and Bijnor.

With the district reeling under high alert for the sec- ond day, thousands of hectares of agricultural land remains water-logged in the Luxor area and nearly two dozen villages are at a constant threat from the interminable monsoon showers.

With the Ganga waters a mere 0.75 m below the danger level, officials from the Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh agricultural department have been constantly monitoring the situation.

Though water has not yet entered the low lying areas in Luxor tehsil, a little more rain can add to the woes of people living in Balawali, Dumanpuri and Bhagwanpur villages.

While people from the urban areas have been blaming the municipal corporation for the inefficient draining system in the city and choked drains due to encroachments, the municipal body has blamed it on the silting of Ganga from unguarded mountains, swelling of seasonal rivers and Ganga waters pushing back the influx of water from the mountains.

“Torrential rainfall for nearly 14 hours has left the city flooded and bursting at the seams. Some places have 4-5 feet deep water-logged in homes. Rivers Rawason, Peeli Nadi, Pathri are completely swollen. The rains which started late in the evening on Friday has left the city in a deluge.