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.

BCCL/ FILE

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.

Scenes from a locality in Haridwar where a crocodile emerged from the logged water. #rain #Haridwar #Sawan #heavyrains #flooding #Uttrakhand #kanwarYatra #Flood #flooded #WaterLogging #WeatherAlert pic.twitter.com/KH6GimBRMH

¡ª Udit (@udit333) July 11, 2023

Several videos posted online in the past few days showed crocodiles in the flood waters, near houses.

Crocodile Alert in #Lakshar, #Haridwar. 5 #crocodile rescued by forest department team. Another operation is going on at #Khanpur area of #Lakshar. Local says we are scared from ¡°Crocodile¡± not by water level. Late night also one more rescued ops successfully done at Khedi Khurd.¡­ pic.twitter.com/W3cjQcZj3j

¡ª Manish Prasad (@manishindiatv) July 15, 2023

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.

BCCL

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.

Morning visuals from Gangotri Highway near Maneri dam

Gangotri Highway also blocked at multiple locations

Avoid travelling and keep your patience whenever traveling over hills #Uttarakhand pic.twitter.com/ZhuwycabCP

¡ª Weatherman Shubham (@shubhamtorres09) July 18, 2023

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.

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