Swollen Burhi Gandak wreaks havoc in Samastipur

Samastipur/Darbhanga/Bagaha/Motihari/Khagaria/Sitamarhi: Swollen rivers continued to wreak havoc in 14 north Bihar districts on Friday as lakhs of people struggled to meet their daily needs.

In Samastipur, the water level of Burhi Gandak has been rising day by day. The water level crossed red line by rising 2.56 metres above it on Friday.

DM Shashank Shubhankar said water level of Burhi Gandak is nearing the mark of the worst-flood that had happened in the Samastipur area in 1987. The water level currently stands at 48.29 metres. It is being said that the river has more water this time than the floods in 2017 and earlier.

Fresh rainfall on Thursday added to the woes of flood victims. Flood water entered houses in Sirsiya village in the river belt of Hasanpur. Sirsiya Dam and Rahmani Mosque were proving to be the main refuge for flood victims. In the Belsandi panchayat of Bithan block, nearly 15 houses collapsed. In Kalyanpur block, due to increased water level of Bagmati river, several villages have been affected.

In Darbhanga, altogether 186 panchayats spread over 14 blocks of the district are under floodwaters. According to officials in disaster management department, 16.29 lakh families from 809 villages have been affected. Altogether 530 community kitchens are being run to feed 1.93 lakh people. In West Champaran, engineers of water resources department at Pipara-Piparasi embankment and Valmikinagar MLA Dhirendra Pratap Singh alias Rinku Singh had to face the ire of villagers when they reached the embankment on Friday to take stock of the situation. The irate villagers threw muddy water on the face of the MLA and shouted ‘go back’ slogans. The agitators were angry because of delayed arrival of the MLA. A police tam reached the spot along with engineers and pacified the agitators.

In East Champaran, turbulent Gandak showed a receding trend on Friday, but the situation deteriorated in 250 villages under 15 blocks. ADM and district disaster management incharge said floodwaters of Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Bagmati, Lalbakeya and its tributaries have inundated 250 villages and affected seven lakh people in the district. Around 62,000 marooned people have been evacuated and nearly 40,000 displaced people were taking shelter on embankments and other safer places in 15 blocks since last 10 days. Altogether 90 boats, including eight motor boats and 31 government boats, have been pressed into rescue and relief operations.

In Khagaria, swollen Kosi and Bagmati rivers entered more villages, submerging large swatches of cultivable land and damaging standing crops over hundreds of acres of land.

The daily flood bulletin issued by the district administration on Friday stated that floodwaters have inundated at least 95 villages in 36 panchayats, affecting 80,900 people. Altogether seven community kitchens are running in the flood-affected areas where 7,288 people are being fed. In Sitamarhi, reduction in intensity of rainfall in the last 36 hours has eased flood situation. Major rivers, such as Bagmati, Lalbakeya, Jhim, Rato, Marar, Marha, Adhawara group and Lakhandei are showing receding trend.

The road connectivity between Sitamarhi-Sursand, Sitamarhi-Parihar, Sitamarhi-Sheohar have not been restored yet as floodwaters are flowing above them.