Floods force thousands to abandon their homes

Allahabad: With both the Ganga and the Yamuna in spate, thousands of people residing in the low-lying areas of the city have been forced to abandon their homes and seek shelter in safer places.

The mighty rivers, which converge at the holy Sangam here, have been rising menacingly for the past few days and crossed their respective danger mark yesterday, officials said today. While water level in the Ganga stood at 85 metres, that in the Yamuna was recorded at 84.8 metres. Danger mark is 84.73 metres for both the rivers, which have been rising at an average rate of 3-5 CM per hour. According to Additional District Magistrate S K Sharma, there has been no loss of life on account of the floods though heavy damage to crops is likely as about 10,000 hectares of cultivated land have got submerged. Residents of low-lying localities are either moving to other areas or shifting to upper storeys of their buildings. The floods have also caused disappointment to pilgrims as the holy Sangam has become inaccessible and even the famous Hanuman temple situated nearby is waist-deep in water. PTI