Flood Fury In UP: Villagers Flee Homes, Last Rites Held In Lanes As Ghats Submerged

Relentless rainfall and rising river levels have plunged parts of Uttar Pradesh into crisis, with the Ganga and Yamuna rivers surging dangerously in districts like Prayagraj and Varanasi. Low-lying areas have been swamped, thousands of families displaced, and even the sacred cremation rituals of the dead are now taking place in streets and alleyways.

In Prayagraj, the floodwaters have engulfed over 15 riverbank colonies, leaving close to five lakh people surrounded by water. With the main cremation grounds submerged, families are being forced to cremate their loved ones on the roads.

“We had never imagined we would have to flee like this. The water came in so fast we could only grab our children and run,” said Phoolmati Devi, a resident of the Rasoolabad locality in Prayagraj. “We left everything behind—our ration, clothes, goats. Our home is now under waist-deep water.”

#WATCH | Varanasi, UP: Namo Ghat is seen flooded as the water level of the Ganga River rises, following continuous rainfall in the region. pic.twitter.com/TDAfL6nigX

— ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2025

Rajkumar Yadav, a farmer from Jhunsi, said, “For the last three days, we have been living on the terrace of a neighbour’s house. The government boats came only once. We are hungry, and there is no drinking water left.”

In Varanasi, the iconic Manikarnika and Harishchandra ghats—central to Hindu last rites—are under water. All 84 ghats stand submerged, and nearly 1,000 temples located along the riverbanks are flooded. The Ganga is now just 1.56 metres below the danger mark, with fears mounting of a further rise.

Sidheshwar Pandey, who came from Ghazipur to cremate his 76-year-old mother at Manikarnika Ghat, was forced to perform her last rites in a narrow alley. “This is not how I wanted to say goodbye to my mother,” he said, holding back tears. “The Ghat was completely underwater, the priests had moved to the lanes. We lit the pyre in a gully. It felt undignified, but we had no choice.”

The situation is no better elsewhere. Heavy rains have led to school closures in Mirzapur, Jaunpur, Sonbhadra, and several parts of Prayagraj. From Lucknow to Kashi, showers have continued intermittently since Thursday morning.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in 26 districts and an orange alert in 49 districts—effectively putting all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh under flood and rain watch. Along with heavy rain, strong winds and lightning strikes have been forecast.

On Wednesday alone, 56 districts recorded 14.5 mm of rainfall—53% above the normal of 9.5 mm. Varanasi topped the charts with 78 mm. Since June 1, UP has received 252.5 mm of rainfall, 6% more than the seasonal average of 238.9 mm.

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Authorities have begun deploying disaster response teams in the worst-hit areas. Relief camps are being set up, and people in vulnerable zones are being urged to evacuate.

But for many, the damage is already done.

“We donot need promises. We need dry land, food, and medicines,” said Shyam Lal, who was seen shifting his family on a cart through knee-deep water in the outskirts of Varanasi. “We have seen floods before, but never like this.”