Prayagraj: After heavy monsoon rains, the threat of flood is looming in the country’s major religious and cultural center Prayagraj. Due to continuous torrential rains in Prayagraj and its surrounding hilly areas, the water level of other major rivers including Ganga, Yamuna, Tons and Belan has started rising very rapidly. Due to this rising water level of rivers, the concerns of the people living in the low-lying and coastal areas of Sangam city have increased considerably. Along with this, the pilgrim priests performing religious rituals at the famous Sangam Ghats, the ghats and the boatmen operating the boats are facing a lot of problems. Seeing this raging form of the rivers, the district administration has come on full alert mode and strict security arrangements are being made. According to the latest data, while the water level of Ganga has increased by 13 cm, the water level of Yamuna river has increased by 36 cm. Along with this combined surge of Ganga-Yamuna, the water pressure in other hill rivers of the region like Tons, Belan, Tudiyari and Gorma is also increasing rapidly. Due to rising water, various major ghats of Prayagraj including Sangam are on the verge of being submerged. Sensing the situation, sailors have started tying their boats to safe places so that they do not get washed away in the strong current. On the other hand, the pilgrimage priests are removing their thrones, posts and tents of worship material installed on the ghats and shifting them to higher places. Due to this sudden change, the devotees coming to the Sangam are also facing problems. Giving detailed information about the situation, Prayagraj’s ADM Finance and Revenue Vinita Singh said that at present the water level of the rivers is increasing, in view of which the administration has increased complete vigilance and monitoring. He clarified that special flood relief teams of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) have been deployed at Sangam and other sensitive ghats to deal with any emergency situation of flood and waterlogging. These teams are patrolling the ghats 24 hours a day and taking moment-to-moment reports of the water level. A special alert has been issued by the administration for the residents of low-lying and coastal areas situated on the banks of the river. People have been appealed to avoid going near rivers and be prepared to move to safe shelters created by the administration in case the water level rises further. According to the forecast of the Meteorological Department, if the rain continues in the hilly and plain areas in the coming few days, then there may be a huge rise in the water level of the rivers, due to which the danger of water entering the coastal settlements may become real. At present, relief and rescue teams are ready to face any challenge.
star_border
