Receding floodwaters from the Ganga have left behind vast amounts of silt, blanketing the main platform and stairs of Varanasi’s Assi Ghat. As the water level drops, the ghat is being exposed, revealing tonnes of debris deposited by the flood.
Ajju Sahni, a local boatman, observed that this year’s flood brought a significantly larger volume of silt than usual. The local water police outpost remains submerged and heavily silted; authorities plan to drain the area and clear the debris once the water recedes sufficiently to resume operations. Mayor Ashok Tiwari has instructed city health officials to monitor sanitation closely.
With the water currently receding at a rate of 1 cm per hour, levels are expected to normalise within the next few days. The Ganga is currently flowing at 69.20 metres in Varanasi, according to the Central Water Commission. Additional district magistrate Sadanand Gupta confirmed that 22 flood relief camps are currently active, with 24 wards and 14 villages still impacted by the floodwaters.
District administration flood bulletins indicate that 2,690 people from 608 families remain in flood relief camps, while 1,392 individuals from 269 families are seeking shelter in nearby neighborhoods due to persistent waterlogging.
“The major challenge begins once the water level returns to normal,” Sahni said, anticipating that the Varanasi Nagar Nigam (Municipal Corporation) will soon launch a cleanup operation. “Once the water recedes fully, we will carry out the work to remove silt from the ghats on a war footing,” the mayor said.
