Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh): The Ganga has crossed the warning mark in Varanasi, prompting the district administration to suspend all passenger and tourist boat operations and intensify monitoring of flood-affected areas, officials said on September 2.

According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), the river’s water level was recorded at 70.29 metres, slightly above the warning level of 70.26 metres. The danger level is 71.26 metres, while the highest flood level is 73.90 metres.

Amid rising water levels and strong currents, authorities have urged residents and devotees to avoid the ghats and low-lying, waterlogged areas. The administration is also monitoring the Varuna river, which has inundated several neighbourhoods.

Around 11 localities and wards have been partially affected by flooding, while 328 families, comprising 1,388 people, have been impacted by the Varuna’s overflow. Thirty-two boats have been deployed for relief and rescue operations in waterlogged areas, even as routine boat services on the Ganga remain suspended.

The CWC had earlier recorded the Ganga rising at 0.5 to 2 cm per hour. Water has entered some ghats, while traditional cremation sites at Manikarnika and Harishchandra have been submerged, forcing cremations to be shifted to rooftops and nearby lanes. District officials said surveillance had been stepped up and contingency plans activated as the river continued to rise.