Prayagraj civic body steps up vigil at Phaphamau ghat, cremates 11 more bodies

: The Prayagraj Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to intensify the monitoring process of bodies buried close to water near Phaphamau ghat and cremate the same before they get swept off by the river water causing pollution

: The Prayagraj Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to intensify the monitoring process of bodies buried close to water near Phaphamau ghat and cremate the same before they get swept off by the river water causing pollution.

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The threat to these bodies getting exposed has increased since rains have forced various barrages in Uttarakhand and UP to release water causing a rise in the level of the Ganga.

A total of 11 bodies were cremated by the PMC on Monday. With this, 41 bodies have been cremated by the team led by zonal officer of PMC, Neeraj Kumar Singh since June 4.

The level of water of river Ganga at Phaphmau ghat was 76.67 meters on Sunday (4pm) which rose by 3 cm on Monday and the level of water was recorded at 76.70 meters. Likewise, 3,75,423 cusecs of water was released from Haridwar barrage on June 19 and 1,93,263 cusecs on June 20. Similarly, 10,722 cusecs of water was released from Kanpur barrage on June 19 and 15.156 cusecs on June 20.

Neeraj Kumar Singh said, “Monitoring has been increased on the ghat after the information about the rise in the water level of Ganga and the release of lakhs of cusecs of water from various reservoirs”.

Hundreds of bodies are buried on the sandy banks of the Ganga between the two sides of the river (city and Phaphamau side).

Local boatmen inform that there are many poor families of the rural areas of Prayagraj and neighbouring districts who, because of weaker economic condition, prefer to bury the bodies. Earlier, this was done on the Phaphamau side of the river but when the district administration started to cremate the bodies of corona positive patients at the Phaphamau ghat, the villagers started burying the bodies at city side of the river—a practice which has now come to a halt in recent weeks following the district administration posting a team near the ghat and increasing its vigil.

“The Phaphamau side is far from the active current of the river and the soil is less sandy because of which the body gets decomposed in shorter time. Moreover, as the bodies don’t get exposed by the current of the river, there is far less chances of dogs and jackals getting hold of the corpse”, said Gadhru, a local boatman.

He added that the strong currents were continuously eroding the Ganga banks and hundreds of bodies buried on the banks were facing the threat of getting exposed and if not attended, they would either be washed away in Ganga or animals would get hold of them.