Rising Ganga pushes funeral pyres into bylanes

Varanasi, Sep 6 (UNI) The rising Ganga river has forced crackling funeral pyres from cremation grounds into bylanes, besides, pushing the celestial Ganga Arti to the streets of Varanasi.

Mythologically famous as the 'City of Moksha' (salvation), funeral pyres that routinely lite up the two riverine cremation grounds -- Manikarnika Ghat and Harishchandra Ghat -- are now being burnt in the bylanes edging the Harishchandra Ghat, which was fully submerged in the flooding river.

The performance of last rites of corpses in the bylanes has become a problem for the residents of the area, who are now round the clock inhaling stench arising from the pyres.

''We can not help it, as it has become an annual phenomenon whenever the river starts flooding,'' said Sunil Yadav, a resident of the bylane, which is now dotted with funeral pyres.

The scene at the other cremation ground -- Manikarnika Ghat -- is a bit better, with the last rites now being performed at the 'Ghoordaur' -- elevated cremation ground built especially for emergent situations caused by flooding river.

While the funeral pyres are troubling the residents of the bylanes, the rising river has also pushed the celestial Ganga Arti -- a major tourist attraction -- from the Dashwashamedh Ghat to the street edging it.

''We are left with no other option, but to organise the Arti on the street edging the famous ghat, as the entire ghat is now submerged in the rising water,'' said Kishori Raman Dubey 'Babu Maharaj' chairman of the Gangotri Sewa Samiti, that organises one of the four Arti's on the riverfront.

Meanwhile, Central Water Commission sources said here that the pace of the river rise has decreased to three cm per hour from nine cm per hour yesterday. The river level recorded in Varanasi at 1500 hrs today was 69.64 metres, which was just 1.6 m below danger mark.

Despite the slowdown in pace of the rising water, the river was likely to breach the red mark in Ballia tomorrow morning, while it will be ominously close to the danger level in Mirzapur, Ghazipur, Phaphamau, Allahabad and Varanasi, sources added.

Among other rivers, Yamuna was rising in Naini (Allahabad) and presently flowing two metres below red mark, while Gomti, on the rise yesterday in Jaunpur had now become stable.

UNI ARS VS SI KN1730