Patna, Sep 30 (IANS) Bihar Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary acknowledged that the past 72 hours have been extremely challenging for officials and flood response teams in the flood-affected areas of North Bihar.
The minister admitted that the situation has worsened in places like Darbhanga and West Champaran, where floodwaters were reported to be flowing above the embankments, signalling the severity of the crisis.
Chaudhary highlighted the unprecedented nature of the flood, particularly in the Kosi River, caused by excessive rainfall in Nepal's catchment areas.
“6.61 lakh cusecs of water were discharged from the Kosi Barrage at Virpur on Saturday. This is the largest discharge in 56 years, with the last such instance occurring in 1968 when 7.88 lakh cusecs of water were released. Similarly, at the Valmiki Nagar Gandak Barrage, 5.62 lakh cusecs of water were discharged on Saturday night, marking the highest water release from the barrage since 2003,” Chaudhary said.
He added that these extreme discharges have contributed to the critical flooding situation across North Bihar, overwhelming existing flood control measures and leaving many areas submerged.
Chaudhary's comments underscore the gravity of the situation and the immense challenge posed by the floods in managing the region's water resources.
The minister pointed out that the situation in the flood-affected areas worsened unexpectedly due to excessive rain in Nepal. He revealed that at one point, the water at the Kosi Barrage was flowing above the gate, which was described as a high amount of water. The massive discharge of water from the barrage, which caught officials off guard, contributed to widespread flooding in the region.
He also admitted that the Bagmati River had breached its embankments at five locations, further aggravating the situation.
According to Water Resource Department officials, over 4 lakh villagers have been impacted by the floods in the past three days. The affected districts include West Champaran, Gopalganj, East Champaran, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Supaul, Sheohar, Muzaffarpur, Purnea, Araria, Kishanganj, Katihar, Khagaria, and others.
In East Champaran's Sugauli block, a ring dam on the Sikrahna River broke near Gorigaon village due to the rising water levels caused by heavy rains in Nepal's catchment area. The dam, built under MNREGA to prevent floods, gave way under the intense pressure of the river, with about 30 feet of the dam collapsing.
Shweta Bharti, SDO Sadar of East Champaran, confirmed the incident. She said that engineers and flood control officials were informed of the damage. Immediate repairs are underway, with the Circle Officer and MNREGA Project Officer on-site to coordinate the efforts. The repair work is expected to be conducted as swiftly as possible to contain further flooding.
