Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh is reeling under the impact of swollen rivers as the Ganga, Yamuna and other rivers have breached danger levels, flooding vast areas and throwing normal life out of gear. From Aligarh, Bareilly, Hathras and Mathura to Shahjahanpur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Prayagraj and Varanasi, floodwaters have entered habitations, forcing thousands to take shelter in relief camps. The administration is carrying out rescue operations and shifting people to safer locations.
In Shahjahanpur, floodwaters disrupted traffic on the busy Delhi–Lucknow highway. Nearly two feet of water flowed for about 1.5 km under the Bareilly Morh overbridge up to Mauzampur village. By evening, the current intensified, bringing two-wheelers, autos and tempos to a halt. Commuters were forced to wade through water on foot. Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Arvind Kumar said PAC flood units have been deployed to monitor the situation. Finance Minister Suresh Khanna also inspected the area and directed officials to provide all possible assistance.
In Lakhimpur Kheri, tragedy struck when a boat carrying 20 villagers capsized in the Sharda river near Nauwabpur ghat on Saturday morning. While most passengers were rescued, Kailash (40) and his daughter Seema (15) went missing. NDRF teams launched a search operation but were unable to locate them till late evening. The family and fellow villagers had set out to collect flood relief material from across the river. The search operation will continue on Sunday.
Prayagraj and Varanasi are bracing for fresh threats as water levels of the Ganga and Yamuna crossed 82 metres and may rise to 84 metres in the coming days, officials warned. In Prayagraj, floodwaters are inching closer to residential areas, threatening to inundate large parts of the city again. In Varanasi, the Ganga rose for the third time this season due to flooding in the Yamuna, submerging the water police outpost at Dashashwamedh ghat and flooding the Assi ghat stage of the “Subah-e-Banaras” programme. The Panchkosi Parikrama route is waterlogged up to Dai Kos, causing severe inconvenience to pilgrims and residents alike. Several roads leading to Barahghat, Kalisah Marg, Jugalghat, Shringarvat and Chirghat have been submerged.
Mathura and Vrindavan are among the worst-hit. Rising Yamuna waters inundated colonies like Laxminagar’s Tiwari Puram and several adjoining villages, with seven to eight feet of water flooding homes in Isapur and Hansganj. District Magistrate Chandraprakash Singh and SSP Shlok Kumar had to use tractors to access submerged areas. Many families remain trapped, refusing to leave their homes for fear of theft and loss of their belongings. Shortage of drinking water and prolonged power cuts have added to their miseries.
In Baldev, the Yamuna’s rising waters submerged a Shiva temple and the cremation ground at Khadera ghat. A cowshed was also flooded, endangering cattle. More than two dozen villages in Baldev tehsil are facing difficulties in performing last rites as cremation grounds lie underwater.
Meanwhile, in Aligarh, the release of nearly 2.5 lakh cusecs of water from Narora has worsened the flood situation, inundating about 10 villages. In Hathras and adjoining areas, several low-lying villages in the Yamuna Khadar were also marooned on Saturday.
With floodwaters showing no sign of receding, officials across districts are on high alert. The state government has deployed PAC flood units, NDRF teams and local police for rescue operations. Authorities have appealed to people to avoid entering rivers or clicking selfies in flood zones, warning that such acts could prove dangerous.
Uttar Pradesh’s rivers, the lifeline of millions, have turned destructive this monsoon, leaving behind devastation, displacement and despair across the state.
