Bihar prepares to meet Kosi flood threat

With the danger of flood looming large in the Kosi belt along the Bihar-Nepal border, the state government has put its personnel on alert, ordered evacuation of people inhabiting the embankment area and also sought help from the Army.

Bihar Disaster Management Department (DMD) principal secretary Vyasji said the state government has put its personnel on alert and instructed the affected districts to make arrangements to evacuate 1.5 lakh people in eight districts along the Kosi as a 10-metre-high wave of water is expected to sweep down the Kosi River through Nepal. He said the state government has also sought the help of the Army.

The Central government, Vyasji said, has dispatched seven additional companies of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) from Kolkata to help its eight companies deployed in Supaul, Madhepura and Saharsa districts.

“We have sent our own team of engineers and officials to the site where Bhote Kosi, a major tributary of Kosi River has been blocked due to an enormous landslide last (on Friday) night, damming the river and resulting in a massive accumulation of water. The team will immediately inform us when the Nepal Army blasts the debris to free the river,” said Vyasji.

The landslide and ensuing damming of Bhote Kosi has occurred at a place called Jure in Sindhupalchok district in Nepal.  It is located north of Kathmandu and around 260 km from the Bihar-Nepal border.

“The Central Water Commission estimates that 14 lakh cusecs of water has accumulated at the landslide site, while the Indian Embassy in Nepal has informed our National Disaster Management Authority about the accumulation of 25 lakh cusecs of water there. In both cases, it is a huge amount of water,” said Vyasji.