ALLAHABAD: The River Ganga is drying up as temperatures continue to rise across the country. Locals in Allahabad, where Yamuna and the mythical river Saraswati meets Ganga at Prayag, expressed their concern over the falling water-level of the Ganga amid worsening heat wave conditions.
“Today, the condition is such that there is no water in the river. People can easily walk and cross the river from one end to another. The water level has become so less that it is a matter of concern for all of us. We are extremely worried as Prayag is losing is importance. On seeing such a condition, people too are worried,” said a local, Mohan Lal.
The country is reeling under severe summer with temperature touching almost 45 degree Celsius in many parts of the country. At least 150 deaths have been recorded in Telangana and Odisha in the recent days.
Meanwhile, school children in Moradabad took out a rally to create awareness about water conservation.
They held banners and raised slogans urging people to stop wastage of water.
“I think this is the most important issue because water is life. And, we want to save water and we want to generate awareness about it among people,” said a participating student, Rashmi. The country’s hottest months are May and June, but many states have already registered temperatures above normal level in April.
Winter this year was not severe as compared to previous years with comparatively higher temperatures. The ministry of earth sciences attributes the overall hotter climate to the El Nino effect.
El Nino is a warming of sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific. It can lead to scorching weather across Asia and east Africa, but cause heavy rains and floods in South America.
