Varanasi, Aug 8, 2025 — For the past 20 days, boat services on the Ganga River in Varanasi have been shut down due to dangerously high water levels, leaving hundreds of boatmen without work and struggling to survive.
Many, like Suresh Sahni, fear the closure could last another two months. “Our condition is very bad right now. We are somehow managing, but the government has not provided any support. No one has come to see our situation,” he said.
With no income, boatmen are relying on loans and selling household items to make ends meet. “Between Assi Ghat and Namo Ghat, lakhs of people have lost their livelihoods,” said Ballu Sahni, adding that their calls for help have gone unanswered.
The problem began after days of heavy rainfall caused the Ganga to overflow, flooding residential areas. Rescue teams have been deployed to move stranded residents to relief camps. “People are trapped in submerged houses… we are rescuing them and taking them to safety,” said SDRF in-charge Pankaj Kumar Tiwari.
The India Meteorological Department has warned of more heavy rain in the coming days, raising fears that the crisis could worsen.
Impact
The prolonged shutdown of boat services is devastating for Varanasi’s boatmen, many of whom depend entirely on daily earnings. Without timely government assistance, the community faces mounting debt, loss of assets, and long-term poverty.