Receding Ganga waters leave massive silt deposits at Assi Ghat

With the water currently receding at a rate of 1 cm per hour, levels are expected to normalise within the next few days.

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.

A view of the boats on the swollen Ganga River in the Namo Ghat area, triggered by heavy rainfall, in Varanasi on Tuesday. (ANI Video Grab)

Ajju Sahni, a local boatman, observed that this year’s flood brought a significantly larger volume of silt than usual. “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.

With the water currently receding at a rate of 1 cm per hour, levels are expected to normalise within the next few days.

According to the Central Water Commission, the Ganga is currently flowing at 69.20 metres in Varanasi. 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.

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.

Mayor Ashok Tiwari has instructed city health officials to monitor sanitation closely. “Once the water recedes fully, we will carry out the work to remove silt from the ghats on a war footing,” the mayor said.