Varanasi Ghats Submerged As Ganga River Swells Due To Heavy Rain

Heavy rains in Uttar Pradesh have led to the water levels in the Ganga river rising and submerging Ghats here on Thursday morning.

Anand, a pilgrim from Delhi, said that due to heavy rains, he was not able to visit the Kashi Vishwanath temple and have the blessings of Lord Shiva.

"I had come here from Delhi to visit the temple and take the blessings. However, it's been raining here a lot and we have been asked not to go out. Yesterday, a house had collapsed and now the Ghats have submerged here.

Although the river is still flowing below the danger mark, the water has entered the houses in the Baghada, Salori and Rajapur areas of Varanasi.

Visuals from Prayagraj also emerged where people were seen using boats to commute.

"The situation in Prayagraj has been bad. The rising water levels in the Ganga have led to waterlogging and water entering our houses. Our daily life activities have come to a halt" said Shyam Pandey, a resident of Prayagraj.

Shukla, another resident said "We are facing issues because of the rising water levels. We have been using boats to commute to places. The children are not able to school as well," he said.

The water level in the Ganga River rose due to incessant heavy rain in hilly areas and water from dams was also released in many places.

According to the Central Water Commission report, the water level of River Ganga has been rising at the rate of four centimetres per hour and will further rise in the coming days.

The connectivity between the Ghats of Ganga has been broken due to the rise in water level. Water has also been surging in the temples on the banks of Ganga.

The venue of the Ganga Aarti in Varanasi has been changed and nowadays it is performed on the rooftops.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)