VARANASI, Aug. 22 -- With the water level of the Ganga River continuously rising in Varanasi, several ghats have been inundated, sparking widespread concern among local vendors and boatmen whose daily earnings have ground to a halt. Around 500 ghat vendors including tea hawkers, lemon tea sellers, Maggi stalls, rosary vendors and balloon sellers, alongside local boatmen are facing mounting economic uncertainty as the floodwaters surge.

Gopal Ji, who sells rosaries and pooja materials from a wooden cot at Asi Ghat, was forced to shift his makeshift setup to higher ground on Friday as the lower platform went underwater. "I am shifting my shop to a safer location because the platform is underwater and the Ganga's water level is increasing c...