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Uttarakhand: Water flow in Ganga River restored after 18-day suspension
Uttarakhand: Water flow in Ganga River restored after 18-day suspension
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Haridwar, The water flow of the Ganga River was restored after an 18-day suspension for annual maintenance, officials said on Sunday, adding that construction work for the upcoming 'Ardh Kumbh', carried out during this period, has been completed.
The flow was restored on Saturday midnight after the conclusion of the annual 'Ganga Bandi' period. The Ganga canal, which flows from Haridwar toward Kanpur, is routinely closed for cleaning, repair, and maintenance.
The flow had been stopped at the Bhagirathi point after Dussehra, leaving various ghats, including the prominent Har Ki Pauri, dry.
Bharat Bhushan, sub-divisional officer of the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department's Headworks division, said this year the canal closure was used to carry out construction work on the ghats in preparation for the Ardh Kumbh.
Ardh Kumbh Mela Officer Dayanand Saraswati told PTI that the rising water level is now reaching the ghats where construction work had been ongoing when the supply was stopped.
"During the upcoming Ardh Kumbh, devotees in Haridwar will have access to approximately 16 km of well-constructed and organised ghats for ritual bathing. There are already approximately 12.5 km of ghats along the banks of the Ganges in Haridwar," Bhushan said.
As part of preparations for Kumbh 2027, the state irrigation department is constructing 10 new ghats spanning 3.25 km along the Ganga canal and the escape channel.
Uttarakhand Infrastructure and Industrial Development Board , through the Uttarakhand Projects Development and Construction Corporation , is building an 82-meter-long ghat near Har Ki Pauri, situated between the Dhanush Bridge and the Control and Command Room, the officials said.
The expansion, which adds new ghats to the existing ones, will significantly increase the space available for bathing along the banks of the Ganges during the Kumbh, they said.
Saraswati further mentioned that repairs to submerged sections of 34 pre-existing ghats on the Upper Ganges Canal and 22 older ghats on the escape channel have also been successfully completed, ensuring that both the new and the existing ghats are in optimal condition for the Kumbh.
"With the completion of the submerged structural work, the focus has now shifted to finishing and beautification of new ghats. The target is to complete these tasks by November 30," added Saraswati.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
