Ban on rafting in Ganga due to weather alert, rafts will not descend till further orders
Rishikesh. In view of the alert of the Meteorological Department and the continuously changing weather, rafting activities in the Ganga river have been banned till further orders. Rafting was conducted in the Ganga till Saturday afternoon, but after this the rafting companies were instructed not to launch rafts in the river. Rafting will be resumed only after the weather conditions become normal and the administration gives permission.
There is a change in the weather in Rishikesh and surrounding areas from Friday night. It is raining intermittently in the area. In view of the weather alert, it has been decided to stop rafting for the safety of tourists.
District Adventure Tourism Officer Tehri SS Rana said that in view of the weather alert, rafting in the Ganga has been banned till further orders. Rafting companies and operators have been instructed not to launch rafts in the river during the ban period.
Initially on Saturday, rafting operations continued normally. Tourists continued rafting in the Ganga till afternoon, but in view of the weather conditions, the operation was stopped after that. The concerned companies have been instructed to follow the order.
The special thing is that rafting started only a few days ago in this season. Prayers were offered for the new rafting season on 23 September. The next day, from 24th September, rafting was started for tourists in Ganga. There was enthusiasm among the people associated with the tourism business after the rafting started, but due to deteriorating weather, the activity had to be temporarily stopped within a few days.
Before starting rafting, the water of Ganga and the conditions of the river were surveyed. Operation was allowed only after the survey found the water suitable for rafting. After this, rafting started from the designated places and tourists also started taking part in it.
However, the weather started changing in Rishikesh and surrounding areas from Friday night. Due to intermittent rains and weather alerts, caution was needed while undertaking adventurous activities in the river. After this, it was decided to stop rafting from Saturday afternoon.
Rafting in the Ganga is one of the major adventure tourism activities in Rishikesh. Every year a large number of tourists reach Rishikesh for rafting. Local tourism businessmen as well as tourists wait for the new rafting season. In such a situation, activities have been affected due to rafting stopping just a few days after the start of the season.
The priority of the administration is the safety of tourists and people involved in rafting. There is a possibility of change in the water level and flow of the river during bad weather. Keeping this in view, extra caution is taken while conducting adventure activities like rafting during weather alerts.
It has been clarified by the District Adventure Tourism Officer that the ban will continue till further orders. This means that at present no definite date has been fixed for resuming rafting. Further decisions will be taken only after considering the weather conditions and safety related aspects.
Rafting companies have also been asked not to drop tourists into the river following the instructions. Tourists who have planned for rafting in the coming days will also have to wait for the weather and further information to be issued by the administration.
In a survey conducted a few days ago, the water of Ganga was found suitable for rafting. On this basis, rafting activities started from September 24. Before the beginning of the new season, after the prayers, the rafting operators had completed the preparations. After this rafting was started for tourists from various places.
But the sudden change in weather affected the rafting operations. After the rain started from Friday night, intermittent rain continued in Rishikesh and surrounding areas on Saturday also. In view of the weather alert, it was decided not to take any risk.
At present, businessmen and tourists involved in rafting will have to wait for the weather to become normal. The concerned officials are keeping an eye on the weather conditions. After the conditions become favorable and the security situation is reviewed, an order will be issued to restart rafting.
Till then rafting in Ganga will remain completely closed. The administration has clarified that till further orders, no rafting company will be allowed to launch rafts in the Ganga. This decision has been taken keeping in mind the safety of tourists in view of the bad weather.