UP border districts on high alert as rivers swell after Nepal flood

The administration has sounded a high alert in Maharajganj and Kushinagar districts of Uttar Pradesh, while stepping up the monitoring of the Gandak and other water bodies downstream of rivers in Nepal, following devastating flash floods in the neighbouring country that have killed at least 177 people and left thousands missing.

The administration in Uttar Pradesh, which shares its northern borders with Nepal, has said its focus is on continuous river monitoring, alerting vulnerable villages and keeping relief-and-rescue teams ready for any possible flood situation.

The Nepal floods triggered after an ice-rock landslide blocked a river near the country’s border with China. The floods have affected several districts and left at least 826 people missing, according to Nepal’s disaster management authorities.

Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has said nearly 300 Indian tourists are among the thousands reported missing. The flash floods in the Himalayan country have caused extensive damage to bridges and roads, with several major highways blocked. In Maharajganj, senior officials, including Additional District Magistrate Prashant Kumar, have been deployed in vulnerable riverine areas to monitor the water level and flow of the Gandak, Darjaniya, Tail Fall and other rivers and water channels receiving water from Nepal.

Officials have been asked stay alert so that relief-and-rescue operations can be launched immediately in case of a sudden rise in the water level. Villages along riverbanks and low-lying areas are being closely monitored, with preparations made to evacuate residents, if required.

Kumar said the administration is fully prepared and that water levels and river flows are continuously being monitored. He appealed to people to avoid going near rivers unnecessarily, follow official advisories and not pay heed to rumours. In neighbouring Kushinagar, the administration has stepped up preparations amid rising water levels of Gandak, known locally as Narayani. District Magistrate Mahendra Singh Tanwar, accompanied by Superintendent of Police Keshav Kumar, inspected vulnerable riverside villages and the Valmikinagar barrage and urged residents to remain alert and stay away from the river and low-lying areas.

In Balrampur, a condolence meeting was held at the Samajwadi Party (SP) office to pay tribute to those killed in the Nepal disaster.