Bihar floods: Crisis deepens as Kosi, Bagmati river breach embankments; Over 4 lakh affected

By Vinaykumar Patil | First Published Sep 30, 2024, 1:10 PM IST

The flood situation in Bihar worsened as the embankments of the Kosi and Bagmati rivers breached, affecting over 400,000 people. Emergency teams are deployed, and 13 districts are on high alert. Heavy rainfall is expected, raising concerns about flash floods in several areas.

The flood situation in Bihar has worsened as embankments along the Kosi River in Darbhanga and the Bagmati River in Sitamarhi were breached on Monday, according to officials. Late Sunday, the Kosi River overflowed near Kartarpur block, inundating the villages of Kirtarpur and Ghanshyampur. In Sitamarhi, seepage has been seen from the wall of the Bagmati River in the Runni Saidpur block.

An official said that the flood situation has worsened as the Bagmati and Kosi rivers breached embankments, but it is still under control. He said that there was no need for an alarm, considering the current situation. Emergency teams from the state’s water resources and disaster management departments are trying to manage the crisis.

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Bihar Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary informed PTI that there have been a total of six incidents of embankment breaches reported across various parts of the state. He noted that repairs are underway for some breaches, while others have already been fixed. The embankment at Madhkaul village in Sitamarhi and the Gandak River’s embankment in West Champaran were also damaged due to excessive water pressure, leading to flooding in the Valmiki Tiger Reserve.

Currently, all major rivers, including the Kosi and Gandak, are at critical levels. More than 400,000 people across 31 blocks in 16 districts have been affected by the flooding. Twelve teams each from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed for relief and rescue efforts.

The Water Resources Department reported that the discharge from the Kosi River at the Veerpur Barrage was recorded at 265,530 cusecs at 6 AM on Monday, decreasing slightly to 254,385 cusecs by 10 AM. Similarly, the Gandak River's discharge at Valmikinagar Barrage was reported at 155,600 cusecs.

The Disaster Management Department indicated that the rising water levels of the Gandak, Kosi, Bagmati, Mahananda, and other rivers have affected over 400,000 residents in 152 Gram Panchayats across the districts of East Champaran, West Champaran, Araria, Kishanganj, Gopalganj, Shivhar, Sitamarhi, Supaul, Siwan, Madhepura, Muzaffarpur, Purnia, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Saran, and Saharsa.

Thirteen districts in Bihar are on high alert after Nepal released 1.05 million cusecs of water from the Kosi and Gandak barrages. This led to embankment breaches reported on Sunday from several dams and rivers, particularly affecting districts along the border with Nepal.

Officials have placed districts including Bettiah, Motihari, Gopalganj, Saran, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Sitamarhi, Shivhar, Samastipur, Kishanganj, Araria, Purnia, Katihar, Supaul, Saharsa, Madhepura, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Khagaria, and Bhagalpur on high alert. While water levels in some smaller rivers are beginning to recede, the situation remains critical for more than 1.6 million individuals affected by the floods, with no fatalities reported thus far.

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To address the worsening crisis, six more teams from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDRF) are being deployed from Varanasi and Ranchi, joining the existing 12 NDRF teams and 22 SDRF teams already assisting in relief efforts across the affected districts.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued alerts for several districts as heavy rainfall is expected, raising concerns about potential flash floods. Districts anticipated to receive significant rainfall include West and East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Vaishali, Patna, Jehanabad, Madhubani, and Bhojpur in the coming days.

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