Bihar Floods: The flood situation in Bihar remained critical on Sunday as embankment breaches were reported along several rivers, particularly affecting districts near the Indo-Nepal border. MoS for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai held meeting with NDRF officials regarding the ongoing flood situation in Bihar.
After the meeting, he said that the flood situation in Bihar is serious and informed about the measures being undertaken in the affected areas for people's safety.
"The state and central government are keeping an eye on it. 11 NDRF teams are ready in the districts. Apart from this, 3 teams are in Bihta, 3 teams are in Varanasi and two teams are in reserve in Jharkhand," MoS for Home Affai rs said.
On Sunday, a breach occurred in the embankment of Bagmati River at Madhkaul village. Several parts of Sitamarhi were affected after the Manda dam in Belsand Block of Sitamarhi district broke.
Gandak river’s left bank embankment in West Champaran was also damaged due to increased water pressure, causing floodwaters entering the Valmiki Tiger Reserve, officials told news agency PTI.
'Taking All Precautions To Manage Flood Risk': WRD
A statement from the state Water Resources Department (WRD) noted: "Due to the unexpected increase in the flow and water level of the Bagmati River, minor seepages on the left and right embankments in Belsand, Parsauni, Bargainia, and Rasalpur blocks of Sitamarhi district, as well as in Piprahi, Puranhiya, and Sheohar blocks of Sheohar district, were reported and immediately repaired."
Following the excessive damage, Nishikant Kumar, an executive engineer of the Flood Control Division in Bagaha, was expelled over negligence and failure to coordinate effectively with local authorities.
The WRD also emphasised the seriousness of the flood situation, saying, "We are taking all necessary precautions to manage the flood risk."
"Despite some water levels receding in smaller rivers, the situation remains dire for over 16 lakh people affected by flooding, with no fatalities reported so far," officials added.
The Birpur barrage on Kosi River released 6.61 lakh cusecs of water, the highest discharge in last 56 years. "This level of discharge is unprecedented, as the last recorded maximum was 7.88 lakh cusecs in 1968," the department noted.
The Valmikinagar barrage on Gandak released 5.62 lakh cusecs, which was the highest since 2003. As a result of this excessive discharge, traffic near Kosi barrage was halted to ensure public safety.
Embankments Under 24x7 Surveillance, Alert Sounded For Several Districts
Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary assured the embankments were being monitored on a 24/7 basis in order to respond swiftly to any danger. "There is nothing to panic about; our teams are always alert, and we are fully prepared for any eventuality," he told PTI.
Water was also flowing above the embankments at Valmikinagar and Kiratpur in Darbhanga on Sunday.
The water levels of Gandak, Kosi, Bagmati, Burhi Gandak, Kamla Balan and Mahananda, Bagmati and Ganga have been rising after incessant rainfall over the past two-three days.
Excess river water entered low-lying areas of West and East Champaran, Gopalganj, Araria, Supaul, Katihar, Purnea and several other districts, after heavy discharge of water from Birpur and Valmikinagar barrages, PTI reported.
After the IMD forecast heavy rain and warned of flash flood risk, an alert was sounded for several districts in Bihar.
Districts including Patna, West and East Champaran, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur, Siwan, Saran, Gopalganj, Vaishali, Jehanabad, Bhojpur, and Madhubani districts are likely to witness heavy rainfall.
"These districts are at risk of low to moderate flash floods," IMD said.
Water Levels At Gauge Sites Breach Danger Marks
Current water levels at several gauge sites are flowing above danger marks, indicating escalation in the ongoing flood risks.
The water level at Jhanjharpur gauge site of Kamla Balan River is recorded at 52.10 metres, 2.10 metres above the danger mark. Lalbekia River's Gowabari gauge site has reached 72.70 metres, which is 1.55 metres above the danger mark.
Additionally, Mahananda River's Taiyabpur and Dhegraghat gauge sites are at 66.81 metres and 37.22 metres, respectively, exceeding danger marks by 0.81 metres and 1.57 metres.