Jagran Correspondent, Gorakhpur: The flash flood in Nepal’s Rasuwa district bordering Tibet on Wednesday has sent Uttar Pradesh and Bihar on high alert. In Nepal, at least 95 people have lost their lives while nearly 400, including 109 Indian tourists, are missing.
Leaving massive devastation behind in Nepal, the floodwaters are rapidly advancing toward the Indo-Nepal border.
Alert in UP
Maharajganj and Kushinagar districts in UP are put on high alert. Anticipating the potential for devastation in a 40-kilometre stretch of Uttar Pradesh due to the inflow of the Gandak River, the Irrigation Department has intensified rescue preparations.
The water from the upper catchment area is expected to enter the districts after 10 PM on Wednesday. Flash flood waves up to three meters high are expected in the Gandak River. A high alert has been sounded accordingly.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also expressed concern over the advancing flood water. Taking to social media platform X, CM Yogi directed the local administrations to exercise full vigilance and ensure necessary preparations, given the potential for flooding in Kushinagar and Maharajganj, due to the rising water levels of the Narayani River.
While praying for the safety of those affected in Nepal, the UP Chief Minister urged the administration to be prepared to deal with any potential devastation, calamity and casualties.
The local administration has also increased surveillance in the Narayani River basin areas of Kushinagar, and the engineers and employees have been deployed to the dams at the Gandak River.
The floodwaters from Nepal will enter India through the border area shared between Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The Gandak River originates from the Dhaulagiri mountain range near the Tibet-Nepal border and joins the Ganga River at Hajipur (near Patna) in Bihar. It flows through the districts of Uttar Pradesh (Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Gorakhpur, Deoria) and Bihar (West Champaran, Gopalganj, East Champaran, Siwan, Saran, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali). In Uttar Pradesh, the river flows over an area of 40 kilometres.
Alert in Bihar
Since the area around the river mostly lies in Bihar, it is also under a threat of potential disaster.
The Bihar government has issued a high alert for eight districts. Muzaffarpur, West Champaran, East Champaran, Gopalganj, Saran, and Vaishali have been instructed to exercise special vigilance. Other sensitive districts, including Sitamarhi and Shivhar, have also been placed on alert.
On Wednesday, a high-level review meeting was held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit. District magistrates and senior police officers from the respective districts were instructed to complete all preparations in a timely manner to deal with a potential flood situation.
Constant monitoring of river water levels, embankments, low-lying areas, bridges, and other vulnerable sites and structures has been directed. Officials were instructed to immediately evacuate affected people in case of a rapid rise in water levels or any other emergency.
The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has also assured to provide rapid response teams and other assistance if needed. The state government has also requested additional NDRF and SDRF teams to be on standby as needed.
Amit Shah talks to Samrat Choudhary
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also talked to CM Samrat Choudhary to assure the state of all possible assistance to deal with the potential crisis. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is being mobilised to deal with any emergency situation.
(With inputs from Amarendra Tiwari, Muzaffarpur)