Lucknow/Patna: Bihar and Uttar Pradesh were on high alert on Wednesday after several districts in neighbouring Nepal were devastated by flash floods in the Gandak river system, with authorities initiating emergency measures including evacuating people from vulnerable areas.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the situation and the possible rise in river water levels.
“The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been placed on high alert along with the local administrations and relief-rescue teams in the border areas where its impact may be felt,” Shah said. According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), the water level in reservoirs on the Nepal side is reducing and the situation is under control.
No panic-like situation has arisen, the Home Ministry said in a statement, adding the state governments of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have taken measures such as required evacuation and other support to local Indian communities near the India-Nepal border. Officers of the Ministries of Home Affairs, External Affairs (MEA), Jal Shakti and Defence are continuously monitoring the situation, it said.
In Bihar, special vigilance has been ordered in West Champaran, East Champaran, Gopalganj, Saran, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali, besides other vulnerable districts such as Sitamarhi and Sheohar. Authorities have opened all 36 gates of a barrage on the Gandak river to help control the situation, state officials said.
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, who also holds the Water Resources Department (WRD) portfolio, said that around 86,000 cusecs of water was discharged from the Gandak Barrage at Valmikinagar around noon. Opening of 36 gates of the Gandak Barrage can facilitate the flow of the water and help control the flood situation, officials of the department said.
In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed concern over the flash floods in Nepal and directed Maharajganj and Kushinagar districts to take all necessary measures to deal with any potential emergency.
Meanwhile, India on Wednesday night sent the first tranche of relief supplies in a military transport aircraft to Nepal.
The relief materials were sent hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to his Nepalese counterpart Balendra Shah and assured him of all possible humanitarian assistance to deal with the situation.
