Residents of low-lying areas in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj suffer as rise in water level of Yamuna and Ganga leads to flooding

The continuous rise in the water levels of Ganga and Yamuna rivers due to flooding has made the lives of residents in low-lying areas in and around Prayagraj difficult. They are forced to wade through knee-deep water in order to reach from one place to another in the flood-affected region. “This is a low-lying area and every two years there is a flooding situation here. The administration never cares about us and we bear the situation by ourselves,” a local, Mohammad Ahmed Khan said. [caption id=“attachment_4842121” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of the Yamuna river. PTI[/caption] “The water is rising every hour here. In 2013 and 2016 there were floods here. After that the government had given us an assurance that the situation will not be repeated, but nothing has changed here,” he added. “When Yamuna water rises, the water seeps into area. We have vacated the low-lying areas and moved to safer places,” another local named Azhar Rizvi said. Incessant rains have led to villages near the bank of the Ganges partially submerged in water. According to official sources, as many as 18 people have died due to rain-related incidents including lightning and drowning in Uttar Pradesh. The deaths took place since Monday night, according to an official release issued in Lucknow. Among those killed include four persons in Azamgarh and two each in Ambedkar Nagar and Lalitpur due to lightning, one each in Hardoi, Fatehpur and Raebareli due to snake bite, one each in Pratapgarh and Fatehpur due to drowning besides rain-triggered incidents at other places, the release said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has condoled the loss of lives and announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to kin of the deceased, it said. He directed officials to provide proper treatment for those who were injured in these incidents, according to the release. With inputs from agencies