The flood situation in Bihar remained grim as major rivers like the Kosi, Gandak, and Bagmati, in districts bordering Nepal were in spate. Six National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been called from outside the state. Videos surfaced on social media showed schools and power grids flooded in the affected districts.
Currently, 12 NDRF teams and 22 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams are actively involved in flood relief and rescue operations throughout Bihar.
"The water levels of Gandak, Kosi, Bagmati, Burhi Gandak, Kamla Balan, Mahananda, and Ganga rivers have been rising across the state due to continuous rainfall over the past two to three days. Rainfall in Nepal's catchment areas has caused rivers to flow at or above danger levels in several bordering districts," Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said on Sunday.
The Birpur barrage on Kosi River released 6.61 lakh cusecs of water, marking the highest discharge in 56 years. This level of discharge is unprecedented, the minister said, as the last recorded maximum was 7.88 lakh cusecs in 1968. Choudhary assured people that there was nothing to panic about. "Our teams are always alert and we are fully prepared for any eventuality," he added.
Rain Wreaks Havoc in Nepal
Rain wreaked havoc in neighbouring Nepal and the death toll from rain-induced floods and landslides across the Himalayan nation reached nearly 200 on Monday. At least 30 people are still missing, according to the police. At least 192 people have been killed in the continuous rainfall, floods, landslides and inundation, officials from the Nepal Police said. They added that 94 others have also been injured nationwide in the disaster, while 30 others remain missing.