As River Ganga Remains Flooded, Crocodiles Enter Residential Areas In Haridwar, Over A Dozen Captured
As heavy rains continue to batter Uttarakhand and water levels rise in many rivers, residents are facing a new threat - crocodiles.
In the past few days, there has been an increase in crocodile sightings in the flood waters and even in residential areas of Laksar and Khanpur regions of the Haridwar district.
Crocodiles enter residential areas??
According to residents, crocodiles from swollen Ganga and its tributaries-- Ban Ganga and the Sonali rivers, have started making their way into residential areas.
?Several videos posted online in the past few days showed crocodiles in the flood waters, near houses.
Where are crocodiles?coming from?
Due to heavy rainfall in the past week, the water level of the Ganga has risen, flooding the Laksar and Khanpur regions, while a breach in a dam on the Sonali River has worsened the flood situation.
Amit Giri, a local, said a large crocodile took refuge in a bathroom in the Khedikalan village of Khanpur, and a forest department team captured and released it back into the river.
Neeraj Sharma, the Divisional Forest Officer of Haridwar, told PTI that a significant number of crocodiles are found in the Ban Ganga and Sonali rivers, which have reached the populated areas along with the floodwaters.
Increase in incidents this year
He stated that when the water level slightly decreased, most crocodiles returned to the rivers, but some strayed into residential areas.
Amberish Garg, the chairman of the Laksar Municipality, said crocodiles mostly enter the drains and ponds of rural areas through the Sonali and Ban Ganga rivers.
He added that several incidents of crocodiles entering populated areas have been reported this time.
As concerns grow among residents, the forest department has been catching the reptiles and releasing them back into the rivers.
An official of the department said that so far, around a dozen crocodiles have been captured from the populated areas along the main rivers. The department has deployed a team of 25 employees in the Laksar and Khanpur regions to catch crocodiles.
Floods in Uttarakhand
Incessant rainfall in the hilly and plain areas in Uttarakhand for the past nine days has increased water levels of the rivers and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams have been told to remain on high alert, authorities said on Wednesday.
As per SDRF officials, nine days of constant rain in Uttarakhand's hilly and plain regions caused the rivers' water levels to rise, subsequently, the SDRF personnel have been instructed to maintain a high degree of alertness.
"River Ganga is once again in spate as a result of constant rain that has been falling in the plains and hills of all of Uttarakhand for the past nine days, increasing the risk of flooding in the nearby areas. With the unexpected increase in the water level of river Ganga, there is a danger of flood in the coastal areas of Mayakund, Chandrabhaga, Chandreshwarnagar etc," said officials.
For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit?Indiatimes News.
