Uttarakhand Rains: Crocodiles leave Ganga, enter residential areas in Haridwar

The heavy rainfall in the past few days has caused a lot of trouble for people living in the northern region of India. Be it Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand or Delhi; the constant rain has wreaked havoc in these states causing flash floods and landslides. Amidst this, a new scare has been witnessed in the Laksar and Khanpur regions of Uttarakhand’s Haridwar district. In a shocking development, crocodiles have started making their way into residential areas already experiencing complications due to the floodwaters of the Ganges and its tributaries. According to an official of the forest department, a team of 25 employees has been deployed in the Laksar and Khanpur regions of Uttarakhand to capture crocodiles. They are working around the clock to ensure that no crocodile is left in the areas. It was also informed that till now, a dozen crocodiles have been caught from the populated areas. Notably, the forest department is catching the reptiles and releasing them back into the rivers. Neeraj Sharma, the Divisional Forest Officer of Haridwar, while speaking to PTI informed that ‘a significant number of crocodiles are found in the Banganga and Sonali rivers, which have reached the populated areas along with the floodwaters.’ Amberish Garg, the chairman of the Laksar Municipality, also said that “crocodiles mostly enter the drains and ponds of rural areas through the Sonali and Ban Ganga rivers.” He added that this year witnessed a several incidents of crocodiles entering populated areas. The reports of crocodiles making their way into populated areas emerged a week after Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reached villages affected by floods for inspection. A dramatic rise has reportedly been witnessed in the water level of the Ganga in the last few weeks due to the heavy rainfall. Additionally, what has worsened the situation in the state is a breach in a dam on the Sonali River. While on Monday, it was reported that the water level has declined in some areas of Laksar, the heavy rainfall on Tuesday led to the rise of the water level again.