Bihar Battles Floods as River Embankments Breach

Flooding worsened in Bihar with breaches in the Kosi and Bagmati river embankments, affecting numerous villages and districts. The state government has deployed additional disaster management teams. Despite reduced water discharge, over 16 lakh people are impacted. The situation remains serious, though no fatalities have been reported yet.

The flood situation in Bihar further deteriorated on Monday, with embankments of the Kosi river in Darbhanga and the Bagmati river in Sitamarhi giving way, as per official reports.

The Kosi river, in particular, surged and breached its embankment near Kartarpur block, submerging nearby villages Kirtarpur and Ghanshyampur late on Sunday. The Bagmati river's embankment is also seeping in the Runni Saidpur block, officials noted.

'The flood situation has worsened with these new breaches, but it remains under control. No need for panic,' an official reassured.

Bihar's water resources and disaster management departments are operating on a war footing. Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary reported six total incidents of embankment breaches across the state, with some repairs already underway.

The embankments at Madhkaul village and the Gandak river in West Champaran sustained damage due to water pressure, leading to flooding in the Valmiki Tiger Reserve, officials stated.

'Water was reported flowing above embankments in Valmikinagar and Kiratpur in Darbhanga. However, water levels have begun to recede in several rivers. No casualties have been reported so far,' added the minister.

In response to the severity in north Bihar, six additional teams from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDRF) are being deployed, supplementing the existing 12 NDRF and 22 State Disaster Management Authority (SDRF) teams engaged in relief operations, the disaster management department's bulletin announced.

Despite receding water levels in some smaller rivers, the flood's impact remains grim, with over 16 lakh individuals affected. The Bihar government has issued flood alerts across various regions in the state, following significant water discharges from the Birpur and Valmikinagar barrages over the weekend.

This morning, however, water discharge rates from these barrages have decreased, offering some respite.

(With inputs from agencies.)