NASHIK, INDIA, July 28, 2003: Steady rains in Nashik the past two days have inundated several low-lying areas, including the Ram Kunda on the banks of the flooded Godavari river, the site of the Sinhastha Kumbha Mela scheduled to start on July 30. “All low-lying areas are flooded … many tents in ‘Sadhugram’ here and at Trimbakeshwar are submerged now,” officials said. With the weather office forecasting more rains, there is anxiety in official circles. Several roads that were redone for the Kumbha Mela have been damaged in the rain and several temples in the Ram Kunda area are under water. The rising water levels in the Gangapur dam have, however, come as a blessing to the water-starved Nashikites. Farmers in rural parts of the Nashik are jubilant, too.
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