UP heaves sigh of relief

Lucknow, Sep 6 (UNI) People in most Uttar Pradesh districts heaved a sigh of relief after water level in prominent rivers started decreasing.

People in Faizabad, Balrampur, Shravasti, Bahraich, Barabanki, Gonda and Lakhimpur Kheri heaved sigh of relief with the water level of major rivers including Saryu, turbulent Ghagra, Sharda and Rapti decreasing.

Till now, all prominent rivers were in spate following release of over 11 lakh cusecs water from flood gripped Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Things are now under control in Allahabad also, where the administration had issued a high allert to 250 villages.

A report from Hamirpur said with the water level of Betwa going down, situation has improved to some extent in Jhansi as well as Hamirpur.

Central Water Commission said Sharda in Paliakalan and Ghagra in Barabanki, Ayodhya and Turtipar were flowing below the danger mark.

While Yamuna was swelling in Agra, it was decreasing in Kalpi, Hamirpur, Mathura and Chillaghat.

On the other hand, Ganga was in spate in Ballia, Ghazipur, Kanpur, Varanasi and Mirzapur.The river was flowing 23 cm above the red mark in Ballia.

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.

Varanasi, famously known 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 to the residents of the area, who are now round the clock inhaling stench arising from the pyres.

Mainly dry weather was witnessed in UP during the last 24 hrs, while rainfall/thundershowers are likely at many places in the next 24 hrs.

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