No Adverse Impact Of Nepal Floods In Bihar, UP: NDRF

NEW DELHI, KUSHINAGAR, MAHARAJGANJ: The NDRF on Thursday said the Nepal flash floods had caused no “adverse” impact in the border areas of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh so far, even as the situation was being continuously monitored in coordination with the two state governments.

The district administrations of Maharajganj and Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh have sounded a high alert and stepped up monitoring of the Gandak and other water bodies downstream of rivers in Nepal as a precautionary measure.

NDRF IG Narendra Singh Bundela told the media in New Delhi that 20 teams — nine in Bihar and 11 in Uttar Pradesh — had been deployed to undertake evacuation, relief and rescue operations in case of floods or waterlogging.

“There has not been any adverse impact of the flash floods in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh till now. We are monitoring the situation in coordination with the two state governments and other agencies,” Bundela said.

Of the teams, one has been deployed in Kushinagar district near Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.

“The Central Water Commission is continuously monitoring and updating the situation,” he said, adding that the Valmikinagar barrage on the Gandak river in Bihar's West Champaran district was being watched and there had been no impact of the Nepal flash floods there so far.

The IG said four NDRF teams were on standby in Ghaziabad and would be airlifted from the Hindon IAF station if Kathmandu sought assistance from the Government of India for rescue operations.

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 to remain alert to launch relief and rescue operations in case of a sudden rise in water levels. Villages along riverbanks and low-lying areas are being monitored and preparations have been made to evacuate residents if required.

In Kushinagar, the administration has stepped up preparations amid rising water levels in the Gandak, locally known as Narayani. District Magistrate Mahendra Singh Tanwar and 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.

The administration is monitoring villages in sandy areas across the river, where people and livestock live close to the river. Arrangements are being made to move residents to safer locations if the water level rises sharply.

Officials said river pressure was being monitored at vulnerable stretches of the Narwa Jot AP embankment, including between 3 km and 4 km, at the spur at 10.518 km and between 13 km and 14.5 km in Kushinagar.

A State Disaster Response Force team has been deployed with rescue equipment and kept on alert. Police personnel in Khadda, Hanumanganj, Tarayasu Jan and Sevarahi police station areas have also been alerted. Two platoons of the Provincial Armed Constabulary have been deployed and two more have been sought.

In Bihar, West and East Champaran, Gopalganj and Muzaffarpur districts are being closely monitored by their respective administrations.

All 36 gates of the Valmikinagar barrage in West Champaran have been opened. According to the district administration, discharge increased from about 1.04 lakh cusecs at 8 pm to 1.36 lakh cusecs at 9.30 pm and 1.42 lakh cusecs on Wednesday.

District administrations along the Nepal border have directed officials to use loudspeakers to alert residents in vulnerable villages. Drinking water, mobile toilets and other essential facilities are also being arranged as a precaution.