Flood-hit districts go up to 14 in North Bihar, 40 lakh affected

PATNA: The Central Water Commission issued a ‘red bulletin’ on Thursday warning of extreme flood situation in rivers Burhi Gandak in Muzaffarpur and Adhwara in Darbhanga even as the number of flood-hit districts went up to 14 in north Bihar. Around 40 lakh people have been affected so far.
The red bulletin stated that Burhi Gandak at Sakra in Muzaffarpur was flowing above its danger mark (50.6m) by nearly 0.8m, which is 0.7m above its previous highest flood level of 50.9m recorded on August 25, 2017.
The water resources department (WRD) flood bulletin issued on Thursday evening also stated that Burhi Gandak was flowing above the danger mark at all flood gauges in Muzaffarpur, Samastipur and Khagaria districts. At Sikandarpur flood gauge in Muzaffarpur, the swollen Burhi Gandak was flowing 1.38m above the corresponding danger level.
The WRD bulletin also noted that villagers of Bairiya-Koral at Chakiya block in East Champaran district damaged a retired bund inside the right embankment of Burhi Gandak.
The bulletin further stated that the Adhwara at Bishunpur in Darbhanga district continued to flow in extreme flood situation at 7am on Thursday. It was flowing at a level of 48.7m with steady trend, which was 1.3m above its danger level of 47.4m and 0.7m above its previous highest flood level of 48m on August 24, 2017.
According to the bulletin, Khiroi river, one of the Adhwara group of rivers, was flowing above the danger mark at both flood gauges at Kamtaul and Ekmighat in Darbhanga district.
WRD minister Sanjay Kumar Jha told TOI that the districts concerned have been asked to remain on alert. “Bagmati, Burhi Gandak and Adhwara rivers are turbulent at present and flowing above danger level at several places. Our engineers are keeping a strict vigil on water level in the rivers and the embankment,” he told TOI.
Weathermen at the Patna Meteorological Centre claimed that heavy rainfall is expected in several districts in north Bihar over the next 24 hours.
Surendra Kumar Patel, an officer at the centre said the monsoon trough line was passing through Varanasi-Patna-Nagaland arc on Thursday. Besides, another trough line formed between north- east Uttar Pradesh to south- east Madhya Pradesh.
“Under the influence of such weather systems, light to moderate rainfall is expected at many places in Bihar. Besides, heavy rainfall along with thunderstorms is expected at one or two places in Saran, Siwan, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Samastipur, Supaul, Araria, Kishanganj and Khagaria districts,” he said.
He added, “Light to moderate rainfall occurred at many places along with heavy rainfall at one or two places in eastern parts of the state in the last 24 hours.”