Varanasi: Rising Ganges water-level disrupts cremation rituals in Manikarnika ghat

According to the data released by the Central Water Commission on Saturday morning, the water level of the Ganges is rising at a speed of 2 cm per hour. At present, the Ganga has reached the 69.34 meters mark, while the danger level is marked at 71.26 meters.

Varanasi: The high and continuously rising water levels of the river Ganges has flooded the Manikarnika Ghat, thereby causing disruptions in the final rites rituals performed on a regular basis there. With 18 of the total 28 platforms at the ghat already submerged in water, only 10 are left in a state usable for cremation purposes. The pathway through which the corpses are brought here for cremation is also on the verge of getting completely submerged.

According to the data released by the Central Water Commission on Saturday morning, the water level of the Ganges is rising at a speed of 2 cm per hour. At present, the Ganga has reached the 69.34 meters mark, while the danger level is marked at 71.26 meters. In the purview of a high possibility of the water level here soon crossing the danger mark, the authorities in the city have closed almost all ghats in Varanasi, leading to distress among people.

Hundreds of people reach Manikarnika Ghat on the banks of river Ganga for the cremation rituals of dead bodies on a daily basis. The Manikarnika ghat sees about 15 to 16 cremations every day. After cremation, people immerse the ashes in the Ganges which is believed to offer salvation. The spiritual importance of this particular ghat is high among people and the place is therefore busy every day.

Since the water level rise, people have been complaining about the inconvenience caused. They are having to wait as the pyres don't cool down quickly while there are only 10 platforms available at the ghat now.