Double relief

People at the kiosks at Gandhi Ghat. Picture by Deepak Kumar

The kiosks under water on August 29. Telegraph picture

WATER-LEVEL OF THE GANGA ALONG PATNA

Residents of the city can heave a sigh of relief twice — the Ganga is flowing below the danger level again and the prices of vegetables have come down.

The threat of a flood loomed over Patna for the first time since 1975, when the Ganga had overflowed its banks and drowned the city. On August 28, the river was flowing at 50.78m from the riverbed at Digha. The danger level is 50.45m.

But on Thursday, officials concerned claimed that the threat of flood had abated.

“The Ganga is flowing below the danger level at all points from Buxar to Kahalgaon, including Patna,” said Jawahar Lal, the superintending engineer of the flood control planning and monitoring circle, Patna, of the water resources department.

The river had come down to 48.6m at Digha on Thursday.

The bulletin of the Central Water Commission on Thursday reported that all rivers in the state — Ganga, Sone, Ghagra, Gandak, Budhi Gandak and Bagmati — were flowing below the dangerlevel, except Kosi in Supaul district. The water-level in all the rivers is expected to go further down over the next 24 hours.

Commuters on Ashok Rajpath, near Bans Ghat, can now see the banks and the sandbars of the Ganga as the river has pulled away from the city over the past week after coming too close last month.

People living in houses beyond the flood protection line — which the government constructed after the 1975 deluge — have had a narrow escape this time. Most of their houses were flooded for over a month.

“Half the road leading to Adalat Ghat remained under water for the past two months. I had to struggle through chest-high water every morning on my way to office,” said Dev Narayan Sahani, a Grade IV employee of Patna Municipal Corporation, who lives in the first house on the riverbank at Adalat Ghat.

He added: “My wife used to venture out once every two or three days. But it was very dangerous as the current in the river was strong and could have washed anyone away.”

Students of Patna University and National Institute of Technology have also returned to their favourite hangout zone — the kiosks at Gandhi and Mahendru ghats.

“Gandhi Ghat was closed over the past few weeks, as the water of the river had submerged even the kiosks. Now that the water has gone down, my friends and I have returned to spend our time after class,” said Manish Kumar, a Patna University student.

Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation has also resumed the operation of the floating restaurant — MV Ganga Vihar.

There is good news also for those who love vegetables, the price of which had gone up because of the flood in low-lying areas. The supply has become regular with the receding water and the prices have come down.

Ashok Rai, a vendor at Anta Ghat vegetable market, said: “The farms in the diara areas have been devastated but the supply of the vegetables from places like Pusa, Dalsingsarai, Tajpur and Bakarpur have started. ”

The receding water, however, is a cause of concern for some, who fear that the river will go too far from the city.

Suresh Mishra, a resident of Ashok Rajpath, said: “If the river continues to move away from the banks at this rate, we shall soon be able to see drain water on the dry riverbed along the city. As a result, Chhath devotees would have to walk quite a distance to reach the river in November.”

Did the flood threat scare you? Tell ttbihar@abp.in