VARANASI, July 17 -- The Ganga River rising steadily from Varanasi to Ballia, flood outposts have been activated across Varanasi district. Water has started entering low-lying areas along the Varuna River due to reverse flow from the Ganga. According to the central water commission, the Ganga's water level in Varanasi reached 68.94 metres on Wednesday, up from 68.42 metres on Tuesday. The water is rising at a rate of 10 mm per hour. All major ghats in Varanasi are submerged.At Assi Ghat, much of the Subah-e-Banaras stage has gone underwater. Water has reached the police outpost at Dashashwamedh Ghat, and the Maa Sheetla Temple is flooded. Entire Sheetla Ghat is submerged, with only the peaks of many temples visible along the stretch from Assi to Rajghat. The Namaste sculpture at Namo Ghat is also underwater.Water police inspector Rajkishore Pandey confirmed that Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat will now be performed symbolically. Devotees will no longer be allowed to view the Aarti from boats due to the rising water level. On Tuesday, reverse flow from the rising Ganga caused floodwaters to enter Hidayat Nagar and nearby areas. By Wednesday, the water level had increased further, submerging many homes. Affected families include those of Shobha, Sona Devi, Rafiq, Sanjay Chaudhary, Barsati Ram, Ajay Chaudhary, Bhushan Mistry, and Munna in Dindayalpur. In Ramna, floodwaters have reached the cremation ground. With the water level rising by about five feet, hundreds of bighas of farmland in Ramna Tikri are now at risk. Officials from the Revenue Department, including Amin Surendra Mishra, are closely monitoring the situation from Nagwan Primary School.Cremations are now taking place on rooftops at Manikarnika Ghat and in narrow lanes near Harishchandra Ghat. The situation is particularly worrying in rural low-lying areas, where water continues to rise. District magistrate Satyendra Kumar and additional police commissioner Shivhari Meena visited a flood relief camp at Primary School, Chiraigaon, on Wednesday. They checked arrangements and instructed officials to ensure all basic services-food, clean water, tents, doctors, and sanitation-are in place. Sub-divisional magistrate Amit Kumar reported that 46 relief camps have been set up across the district....