In Bihar, the Ganga and Kosi rivers are overflowing, threatening the state with a severe flood. While 13 districts are already heavily impacted by the rising Ganga, the increased water level in the Kosi River threatens to submerge North Bihar and Seemanchal.
'Not Seen This Much Water in 50 Years'
According to reports, this is the most water seen in 50 years in the Kosi River, capable of submerging multiple districts in North Bihar. Panic has spread among the locals. At ground zero, locals mentioned they haven't seen this much water in the Kosi River for nearly 55 years.
People Fear Floods Like 2008
In 2008, the Kusha dam broke after releasing 200,000 cubic feet per second (Cusec) of water. This time, after continuous rainfall in Nepal, more than 550,000 Cusecs have been released from the Kosi Barrage, making the situation very critical.
A senior official mentioned that the Bihar government has issued flood warnings for the northern and central parts of the state after releasing water from the Valmiki and Birpur Barrages on Saturday, causing the Kosi, Gandak, and Ganga rivers to swell.
Bihar Officials on High Alert
State Water Resources Department Principal Secretary Santosh Kumar Mall said that Birpur Barrage in Kosi River released 5.7 Cusecs by the afternoon, which is the highest in recent times. Measures are being ensured for the safety of the embankments. Similarly, Valmiki Nagar Barrage released 420,000 Cusecs by the afternoon.
Continuous rain for the last two to three days has caused water levels to rise in several rivers across the state. Ongoing rains in various parts of Nepal have raised rivers to danger levels or above.
Several Areas Submerged
After releasing a massive amount of water from these two Barrages, the additional river water has entered low-lying areas of Jogapatti, Nautan, Gaunaha, Bagha-1, Bagha-2, Ramnagar, Majhouliya, and Narkatiaganj blocks of West Champaran, and several areas of East Champaran. Several alerts have been issued in various districts of Bihar as the IMD has warned of heavy rains, predicting low to moderate floods in many parts.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin issued on Friday predicts heavy rain in the districts of West and East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Vaishali, Patna, Jehanabad, Madhubani, and Bhojpur. It warns of low to moderate flood risks in the next 24 hours in these districts.
39 Dead, 11 Missing in Nepal
Meanwhile, incessant rains have caused flooding in Nepal, resulting in at least 39 deaths so far. Some parts of Nepal have been submerged since Friday due to heavy rains, prompting disaster management officials to issue flash flood warnings.
Heavy rains have caused deaths in Kathmandu (9), Lalitpur (16), Bhaktapur (5), Kavre Palanchowk (3), Panchthar and Dhankuta (2 each), and Jhaapa and Dhading (one each), while 11 people are reported missing.
