Cremations at Nigambodh Ghat, Delhi’s largest cremation ground, have been suspended after Yamuna floodwater entered the premises, officials said on Wednesday.
The facility stopped conducting cremations approximately two hours ago, and only the rituals which began earlier in the morning are being completed, an MCD official said.
Located along the Ring Road behind the Red Fort, Nigambodh Ghat, with a capacity of 42 cremation platforms, is the city’s oldest, largest, and busiest cremation ground.
On average, it handles 55 to 60 cremations daily. The rising water level has disrupted the arrangements.
"Until about two hours ago, only rainwater entered the premises. A wall approximately seven to eight feet high was damaged from the top, with about two feet collapsing, allowing the Yamuna water to enter," a management official present at the ghat told PTI.
He added that the ghat was operational till 2.30 pm and no further cremations were conducted after that. "Anyone looking to use the services of the crematorium now will be requested to go to another cremation ground," he mentioned.
Earlier in the day, only rainwater was present in the ghat's premises, but after 2.30 pm, floodwater from the Yamuna began entering the crematorium.
An electric crematorium was built at the Nigambodh Ghat in the 1950s, and a CNG-run crematorium was added by the Municipal Corporation in 2006.
The Yamuna river in Delhi crossed the evacuation mark on Tuesday, as the water level was recorded at 206.03 metres and has been increasing since.
As the water level rose, people living in low-lying areas were evacuated by district authorities, and the Old Railway Bridge was closed for traffic. "The reason for the rising water level is mostly due to the high volumes of water released from the Wazirabad and Hathnikund barrages every hour. The forecast indicates a further increase in the water level," an official from the Central Flood Control Room added.
The river received a discharge of 1.62 lakh cusecs from Hathnikund Barrage and 1.38 lakh cusecs from Wazirabad Barrage at 8 am.
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