Bihar, UP on flood alert
Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are on high alert after several districts in neighbouring Nepal were devastated by flash floods in the Gandak River system. Authorities are initiating emergency measures, including evacuating people from vulnerable areas.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to the Chief Minister of Bihar, Samrat Choudhary and assured all possible assistance from the Union Government to deal with any potential crisis, officials said.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is being mobilised to deal with any emergency, they said. The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has also alerted all its formations along the 1,751-km India-Nepal international border and 18 teams have been deployed to launch relief and rescue operations.
Special vigilance has been ordered in West Champaran, East Champaran, Gopalganj, Saran, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali, besides other vulnerable districts such as Sitamarhi and Sheohar. Authorities have opened all 36 gates of a barrage on the Gandak River to help control the situation, state officials said.
Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Choudhary, who also holds the Water Resources Department (WRD) portfolio, said, “A technical team led by a Superintending Engineer has been deployed at the barrage. Warnings have also been issued to all districts in the Gandak River basin.”
In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed concern over the flash floods in Nepal and directed Maharajganj and Kushinagar districts to take all necessary measures to deal with any potential emergency.
In Maharajganj, District Magistrate Gaurav Singh Sogarwal has directed agencies concerned to make arrangements to evacuate people from vulnerable low-lying and riverside areas to safe, elevated locations if required.
In Kushinagar, the district administration has ordered the evacuation from Marchahwa, Shivpur and other villages, and announcements are being made urging residents to move to safer locations. District Magistrate Mahendra Singh Tanwar said all concerned departments have been put on alert.
Special vigilance is being maintained in Shivpur, Hariharpur, Narayanpur, Marchahwa and Basantpur villages of Khadda tehsil, as rainfall in Nepal could affect the water level of the Narayani River.
