Floodwaters overtop NH in West Champaran district

PATNA/BAGAHA: Floodwaters have overtopped NH-28 (B) from Madanpur in West Champaran district to Paniyahwa in Uttar Pradesh due to heavy rainfall in the catchment areas of the Gandak in Nepal over the last 48 hours.
As heavy vehicles have been barred from plying on the road, trucks and buses remained stranded near Madanpur. The floodwaters have also overtopped the state highway running through Valmikinagar forest area near Hardiyachat.Reports said wild animals have entered villages, causing damages to cropland of farmers.
The flood situation remained grim in the northern blocks of Bhagalpur district where National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force teams have been conducting rescue and relief operations with support from local volunteers.
In Amadabad block in Katihar district, the Mahananda continued to flow above the danger mark due to heavy rain in Nepal. The situation has been worsened by backwater of the Ganga between Katihar and Sahebganj (Jharkhand) districts lying close to the Farakka barrage.
Meanwhile, all the major rivers that fall into the Ganga at various points along its basin in Bihar have also continued to flow above the danger mark at key locations. The rivers are Kosi, Mahananda, Bagmati, Burhi Gandak and Kamla Balan. According to the flood bulletin released by the water resources department (WRD) and Central Water Commission (CWC), the situation is unlikely to relent soon. The CWC has forecast light rain in the catchment areas of all the rivers flowing through the state.
The only silver lining is that the water level in the Ganga has come down substantially at Digha Ghat and Gandhi Ghat in Patna. “The trend will continue,” the CWC bulletin said. The water level was 29cm below the danger mark at Digha Ghat on Sunday and it may come down further by 47cm on Monday, the bulletin said.
Similarly, the Ganga was flowing 44cm above the danger mark at Gandhi Ghat on Sunday compared to 80cm on Saturday. Even though the river was flowing 70cm above the danger mark at Hathidah in Patna district, it would reduce by 28cm on Monday, the bulletin said.
The situation is likely to ease slightly at Bhagalpur as the Ganga water level, which stood at 18cm above the danger mark on Sunday, is expected to decrease by 21cm on Monday. The flood scene at Kahalgaon is expected to relent in the next couple of days if the catchment areas of various rivers do not receive heavy rainfall.