Delayed monsoon causes fall in Ganges level
The delayed monsoons have begun to impact scores of lives that are now under constant threat of losing their livelihood. Those particularly affected are people who depend directly and solely on the River Ganges.
THE DELAYED monsoon has started playing havoc with score of lives now under constant threat of losing their livelihood. Particularly affected are those who are directly and solely dependent on the River Ganges. The immediate fallout of the delayed monsoons is the steadily decreasing water level of this revered river. This fall is causing nightmares to farmers who live along the Ganges and the boatmen who earn their daily income through it. At all five key points through which the Ganges flows in Bihar – Buxar, Patna, Hathidah, Munger and Bhagalpur – the river is flowing at below-average water levels. Measured by the Central Water Commission (CWC), the water-level has dipped by about two-and-half metres.
And, this is quite a precarious situation for the lakhs dependent on the Ganges, who have been earning their bread from it for generations. “Every year in the month of June, water-levels reach up the stairs of the banks but, this year it has not even touched the coast line. Had there been rain in time there would have been an overflowing river in this time of the year,” said boatman Ramesh Kumar Manjhi.
“This has happened because the monsoon has not yet come,” he added. Like Manjhi, other boatmen too have some chilling experiences to recount about this spell of hot weather and they are worried that they will not be able to make ends meet because a low water levels would mean that they would not be ply their boats as usual.
“Not only we, but farmers are also going through a similar predicament. They fear that they would not have a bumper crop this year,” said another boatman Umesh Manjhi. According to CWC data, the river in the state capital is flowing at the level of 40.96 metres as against the average level of 43.36 metres. At Buxar, Hathidah, Munger and Bhagalpur, the level is 49.53, 32.69, 29.14 and 24.14 metres respectively.
Confirming the situation, Arun Kumar Sinha, executive engineer with the CWC, said that the delay in rains, has caused the Ganges to flow at below-average levels. “Our data clearly shows that the water level of the river is below normal and at many places it has not even touched the average point,” he said.
“This has happened because the monsoon has not yet come,” he added. Like Manjhi, other boatmen too have some chilling experiences to recount about this spell of hot weather and they are worried that they will not be able to make ends meet because a low water levels would mean that they would not be ply their boats as usual.
“Not only we, but farmers are also going through a similar predicament. They fear that they would not have a bumper crop this year,” said another boatman Umesh Manjhi. According to CWC data, the river in the state capital is flowing at the level of 40.96 metres as against the average level of 43.36 metres. At Buxar, Hathidah, Munger and Bhagalpur, the level is 49.53, 32.69, 29.14 and 24.14 metres respectively.
Confirming the situation, Arun Kumar Sinha, executive engineer with the CWC, said that the delay in rains, has caused the Ganges to flow at below-average levels. “Our data clearly shows that the water level of the river is below normal and at many places it has not even touched the average point,” he said.
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