Ganga rises to warning level at Haridwar

Heavy rain in the past few days has resulted in rise of water level of the Ganga at Haridwar, with the river touching the warning mark on Wednesday.

According to the central water commission (CWC), Ganga at Haridwar touched the warning mark at 293 metres at 2pm on Wednesday. The river, however, is still flowing below the danger mark of 294 metres, the CWC said.

The CWC has predicted that the water level of the river is likely to start receding at night. “There is no reason to worry as water level in the Ganga is well below the danger mark and is likely to recede. Rivers are in spate as hills have witnessed incessant rain in the past few days. The water level will fall once it stops raining,” said Piyoosh Rautela, executive director, Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre (DMMC).

According to Met office forecast, rain activity will reduce after Thursday. This is likely to bring down water level in all major rivers in the state.

In Rishikesh and Devprayag, the water level in Ganga was following an upward trend. The river at Rishikesh was flowing at 338.8 metres, less than a metre below the warning level while at Devprayag, it was flowing at 457.3 metres, almost six metres below the danger mark.