Narmada recedes, but offcials on alert

Even as the level of the Narmada in Bharuch and Vadodara districts receded on Thursday, officials claimed to be on round-the-clock alert in view of the immersions scheduled on Friday, the last day Ganeshotasva. More than 2,600 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas of at least six villages of Ankleshwar and Waghra talukas in apprehension of danger.

According to Bharuch District Collector B B Swain, the river was at 31.25 feet at Golden Bridge on Thursday evening, down from 32.50 feet on Wednesday night.

The new villages to come under threat in Bharuch district include Juna Borvata, Borvatapet and Raliapet. Swain said people had been evacuated from some villages because their connecting roads and bridges were under water. With the shiftings conducted over Wednesday and Thursday, the total number of people evacuated had touched 7,350. More than 5,800 animals, too, had been shifted, he said.

Swain said that according to the authorities at Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh, the Narmada was likely to recede further as no water will be released into the river till tomorrow. It was likely to fall to 29-30 feet within a day or two, he said, adding that the administration would launch a drive to clean the affected area after the water receded.

In Vadodara, the administration claimed to have made elaborate arrangements at Chandod village of Dabhoi taluka, where it is expecting more than 30-50,000 devotees on the concluding day of Ganeshotasva on Friday.

"More than 100 officials have been asked to remain on duty round-the-clock there and ensure that devotees do not crowd near the temple as they could slip and be swept away by the swelling Narmada", a collectorate spokesman said.

Meanwhile, access to least six villages located on the banks of Narmada around Chandod - in Shinor and Karjan talukas - continued to be difficult. Officials from Chandod said though the water had receded slightly, there continued to be water a foot deep in two temples on the ghats of the Narmada Ma temple.

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Compiled from Local news media