VARANASI, Sept. 9 -- Receding floodwaters from the Ganga have left behind vast amounts of silt, blanketing the main platform and stairs of Varanasi's Assi Ghat. As the water level drops, the ghat is being exposed, revealing tonnes of debris deposited by the flood.

Ajju Sahni, a local boatman, observed that this year's flood brought a significantly larger volume of silt than usual. "The major challenge begins once the water level returns to normal," Sahni said, anticipating that the Varanasi Nagar Nigam (Municipal Corporation) will soon launch a cleanup operation.

With the water currently receding at a rate of 1 cm per hour, levels are expected to normalise within the next few days.

According to the Central Water Commission, the Ganga i...