Kashi Ghats silt cleanup: Race against time for Dev Deepawali
The silt is a result of the floodwaters that rise every year during the monsoon, carrying sediment which settles on the ghats.
The iconic, panoramic ghats of Varanasi are adorned with a multitude of shades— spring, summer, and winter with each season bestowing its unique charm. Yet, at present, many of these revered ghats are coated with a thick layer of silt left behind by receding floodwaters from the Ganga River. The stairs and platforms are covered with silt making it difficult for tourists, devotees, and locals to walk along the ghats.
The silt is a result of the floodwaters that rise every year during the monsoon, carrying sediment which settles on the ghats. The increased water level flowing with a strong current brings a lot of silt which gets deposited on the stairs at platforms of the ghats. As in previous years, this year too, the floodwaters deposited a significant amount of silt on the ghats’ stairs and platforms, said Shambhu Manjhi, a boatman at Dashashwamedh Ghat.
Manjhi added that walking on these silt-covered areas is extremely challenging. As the water recedes, the silt becomes more visible, prompting the organisers of the Ganga Aarti to start removing it from Dashashwamedh Ghat and Rajendra Prasad Ghat.
Sushant Mishra, president of Ganga Seva Nidhi, which organises the Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat, said, “This year’s flood brought less silt than last year. We got the silt removed from the ghats to ensure it doesn’t inconvenience devotees.”
Mishra also explained, “if the silt is left for too long, it hardens, making it more difficult to remove. Therefore, cleaning efforts are being carried out as the water levels decline.”
Activist Rajesh Shukla, who cleans a stretch of the Ganga along a ghat daily, said, “The stairs and platforms of several ghats are still covered with silt left by the flood, although the Municipal Corporation has started a cleaning drive. The ghats where Ganga Arti is organised daily have been cleaned by them. It should be cleaned at the earliest.”
Removing the silt is a major annual exercise for the Varanasi Nagar Nigam (VNN). Every year, the municipal body swings into action to get the silt removed from the ghats soon after flood water recedes to the normal level in river Ganga.
This year too, the VNN has made all the necessary preparations, and a senior official confirmed that a massive cleaning drive to remove the silt from the ghats has been launched.
Asi Ghat, Ravidas Ghat, Rana Mahal Ghat, Pandey Ghat, etc., are among the ghats whose stairs and platforms are covered with silt.
According to officials, the average cost of this operation is around ₹75 lakh each year. The manpower and resources needed include 400 laborers, 80 water pumps, and 60 boats, with the entire process taking over 45 days
VNN public relations officer Sandeep Srivastava said, Varanasi Nagar Nigam has started removing silt from the ghats. The work has begun at a war footing.”
The ghats will be completely free from silt before Dev Deepawali, added Srivastava.
Moreover, in a recent meeting, the district administration set a deadline of November 10 for completing the silt removal, ahead of the Dev Deepawali celebrations on November 15.