Covid causes new environmental dilemma for Ganga
PRAYAGRAJ, June 17 (HS): For quite some time, there have been concerns regarding the Ganga river’s health. Due to Covid, a new environmental crisis is emerging for the most vital water source. Hundreds of victims were buried in shallow graves along the riverbanks in Prayagraj during the second wave of the pandemic. With the monsoon season approaching, many of these bodies are expected to wind up in the river, further contaminating it. Yes, you read that correctly.
The early arrival of monsoon this year has raised new concerns for the district administration and the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation (PMC), as the Ganga’s rising level is rapidly eroding large sections of the riverbank and exposing a large number of bodies buried in the sand near Phaphamau Ghat, presumably of Covid-19 victims. The civic agency has taken on the task of cremating all of these bodies. Neeraj Singh, the ghat’s zonal officer, has burnt nearly two dozen dead so far (11 of these in the last one week).
Despite the fact that remains are frequently buried on riverbanks near various ghats, including Jhunsi and Daraganj, riverbank erosion due to rising waters has been witnessed largely at Phaphamau, according to PMC authorities. Approximately 60 to 70 remains are currently on the verge of being uncovered near the Phaphamau Ghat owing to riverbank erosion. According to PMC officials, the zonal officer in charge burnt seven remains on Tuesday and three more on Wednesday. Singh and his staff survey the Ganga’s sandy banks every day. If a body is in danger of being exposed, the squad digs it up and cremates it.
Singh not only takes part in the cremation’s entire process, but he also makes it a point to ensure that all of the rites are followed. “I am not acquainted with any of the deceased. However, it is my job to observe the last rites ceremonies. “I fire the pyre while singing Vedic mantras, thinking of ‘them’ as members of my own family,” Singh explained. On June 4, Singh began cremating six bodies that had been buried along the riverside. It’s been a regular feature since then. He had torched the pyres of 24 such bodies until Wednesday. The cremation of each deceased costs the PMC roughly Rs. 3,000.
Officials said the practise would continue in the coming days since additional bodies are anticipated to be discovered as the riverbed continues to erode. “Because we’ve been keeping a tight eye on the ghats, no one is burying the corpses. When we discover a body, which is likely to be washed into the river due to riverbank erosion, we dig it up and cremate it,” said PK Mishra, PMC’s public relations officer.
“Officials need to keep strict vigil not just on the Phaphamau ghat but other ghats as well where bodies have been traditionally buried on the sandy banks and can be swept off by the current causing further pollution of this sacred river,” senior lawyer and Amicus Curie in the ‘Re-Ganga Pollution’ case at the Allahabad High Court, Arun Kumar Gupta warned. “With the monsoon season underway, riverside vigilance will be required 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the coming days. Any blunder might be disastrous for the river,” Gupta added. He has been advocating for the holy river to be designated as a “International Heritage” site.
