Bihar floods: Situation comes to a head as several embankments breached
Patna: The flood situation in Bihar remained critical as embankment breaches have been reported along several rivers, particularly impacting districts near the
Indo-Nepal border.
On Sunday, a breach occurred in the embankment of Bagmati river at Madhkaul village in Sitamarhi, while the Gandak river’s left bank embankment in West Champaran was damaged due to excessive water pressure, resulting in floodwaters entering the Valmiki Tiger Reserve,
officials said.
According to a statement from the state Water Resources Department (WRD), “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, Purnahiya, and Sheohar blocks of Sheohar district, were reported and immediately repaired”.
In response to the damage, Nishikant Kumar, executive engineer of the Flood Control Division in Bagaha, was suspended for negligence and failure to coordinate effectively with local authorities.
The WRD emphasised the seriousness of the 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, marking the highest discharge in 56 years. “This level of discharge is unprecedented, as the last recorded maximum was 7.88 lakh cusecs in 1968,” the department noted.
Similarly, Valmikinagar barrage on Gandak released 5.62 lakh cusecs, the highest since 2003. As a precaution, traffic near Kosi barrage has been halted to ensure public safety.
Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary assured that teams are monitoring embankments on a 24/7 basis to respond swiftly to any erosion or danger. “There is nothing to panic about; our teams are always alert, and we are fully prepared for any eventuality, “ he said.
Incidents of water flowing above the embankments were also reported from 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 across the state, following continuous rainfall over the past two-three days. Incessant rainfall in the catchment areas of Nepal has led to rivers touching or flowing above the danger level at several places in the bordering districts,” the minister said.
Following heavy discharge of water from Birpur and Valmikinagar barrages, excess river water entered low-lying areas of West and East Champaran, Gopalganj, Araria, Supaul, Katihar, Purnea
and several other districts,
officials said.
