The Ganga ghat in Unnao, UP, has dead bodies buried right up till the edge of the river. In 'normal' times, 25 bodies used to come a day for cremation, but now jumped to over 300, claim local residents.
As far as the eye can see are shrouds, in shades of red. They mark the makeshift graves of people recently buried. Almost every few yards are unmarked graves. Some partially dug up by dogs.
“Since the second wave of the mahamari , 300 to 400 dead bodies a day have been arriving at this ghat. Even today, there are nearly 150 bodies waiting for their last rites.”
@GaonConnection's ground report from the Ganga ghat in Unnao, UP
There is hardly any space and the dead are being buried right up till the edge of the river. And there is a fear that as water level rises, these bodies may end up in the river as has happened in other places.
Baksar village in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, is known for the Chandrika Devi temple. The holy river Ganges flows through it, and a grotesque reality is unfolding on her banks…
Watch @GaonConnectionE's ground report from the Ganga ghat in Unnao.
People are bringing the dead from villages as far as in Kanpur Dehat district, nearly 100 kms away.
“Since we ran out of space, the ghats on the other side of the river are also being used to bury and burn the dead.”
“Sometimes there are so many bodies to be buried that we are unable to dig deep enough. We have seen some of the graves, being dug up by dogs," a grave digger at Ganga ghat, Unnao, UP.
Read and watch this ground report on 'Graves by the Ganga'
"After we got to know that people have buried the bodies in the sand, I sent a team to respectfully manage the bodies and directions have been issued that such a thing is not repeated," Ravindra Kumar, DM, Unnao, UP.
It is 10:30 in the morning, and a line of dead bodies lie, awaiting their turn to be cremated. Or buried. That depends on how much money their near and dear ones have for their last rites.
The Ganga ghat in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, has seen an unprecedented rush as dead bodies await their turn to be cremated, or buried. As the poor cannot afford Rs 15,000 for a cremation, they are choosing to bury their dead for Rs 700.
@GaonConnection and @GaonConnectionE launch a new series from paddy growing states in the Indo-Gangetic plains that have received deficient monsoon rainfall, leaving paddy farmers in distress. It has global repercussions too!
As part of @GaonConnection & @GaonConnectionE new series – #PaddyPain – here's the ground report from Uttar Pradesh, the no. 2 rice growing state in India. Deficient monsoon rainfall has affected paddy sowing. It has national and global impact.
"The lack of rainfall has been disastrous to farmers. It hasn't rained at all. The government should ideally declare a drought and provide a relief package," Moonge Lal, pradhan of Madhopur village in Farrukhabad, UP.
“In the first wave of the #COVID19, very few children were infected with Coronavirus, but the virus has shown mutations and it can pose a serious risk for children,” DS Rawat, a pediatrician, and chair of the Uttarakhand Medical Services Selection Board.
People along the west coast of India are slowly picking up pieces of their lives scattered & shattered by #CycloneTaukte.
Exactly a year ago, on May 20, #CycloneAmphan had hit the Sundarbans. People are still displaced.
Sabita Rani’s last memory of her home was the clock on the wall which told her it was 6 pm. It was on the evening of May 20, 2020, that her home in Hajatkhali village was swept away in the fury of #CycloneAmphan. A year on, she is still displaced.
Khulna, Satkhira & Bagerhat dists on the southwest coast of Bangladesh were the hardest hit by #Cyclone Amphan. About 500,000 people were affected. There are lingering signs of devastation. Villages lie in ruins. Many continue to live on embankments.
“I have been digging graves for thirty years and have never seen this number of dead in such a short span of time. Even after spending hours digging graves all day, there are still more graves to be dug," 54yo Munna.
“Ever since COVID, I have been digging graves almost non stop. There are days when I have dug ten graves in a row. I want to give it all up, but I can’t refuse the relatives of the dead who beg me to dig a grave," Munna, a gravedigger. #Corona2ndWave
Sushma was only 11yo when she was married off to 15yo Santosh, whose traditional occupation was 'panda', a priest who performs the last rites prayers. By the age of 26, Sushma was widowed.
She became a पंडा, something restricted only to men
#CycloneTaukte has left behind a trail of destruction on the western coast of India. 24 people reportedly dead, several fishers missing, fishing boats badly damaged.
“We were alerted by the weather dept that a cyclone will hit Mumbai around May 15. So, we had parked our boats in safe areas. But still, boats destroyed... In the Madh port alone, 25-30 boats have been damaged... some fishermen missing." #Tauktae
“In Gujarat’s Saurashtra alone, the fishing community has suffered a loss of an estimated seventy crore rupees (Rs 700 million) due to the cyclone,” Usmangani Shersiya, secretary, National Fishworkers' Forum .