Patna: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday
made an aerial survey of the flood situation in Bihar arising
out of release of over five lakh cusecs of water from Bansagar
dam in Madhya Pradesh, while an alert was sounded in nine
districts.
Kumar, accompanied by senior officials of the Water
Resources Department(WRD) and Disaster Management Department
(DMD), surveyed areas surrounding Sone and Ganga rivers where
the discharged waters had surged into, official sources said.
After the survey, Kumar said though the flood situation
was not `very alarming,` measures have been put into place to
tackle any situation arising out of an overflow from Indrapuri
barrage in Bihar, where water has reached from MP.
Earlier in the day, he held a high-level review meeting
with WRD and DMD officials and engineers and assessed the
impact of the released water surging into Sone and Ganga
rivers that was likely to submerge nine districts in central
and north Bihar, the sources said.
WRD Principal Secretary Afzal Amanullah informed Kumar
that the release of 5.29 lakh cusecs of water from Bansagar
dam which swelled Sone river was the highest discharge since
1975.
Though the water level in the river had abated, the
flood situation in nine districts adjoining Sone and Ganga
rivers had aggravated, he said.
There was sudden massive release of water from Bansagar
dam in Sone river in MP for 12 hours till last evening
triggering off flood fears, official sources said.
Official sources said heavy rains in the catchment
areas of major rivers flowing through the state has worsened
the fear of flood in the nine districts.
Following instructions of WRD Minister Vijay Kumar
Choudhary, who is in Delhi in connection with the National
Integration Council meeting, Amanullah has alerted the
district magistrates and engineers concerned.
A report from said flood waters have entered several
villages in Rohtas, Nauhatta, Tilithu, Dehri and Akodhigola
blocks located near Sone river.
Over 300 people have been moved to safer places,
district magistrate Anupam Kumar said adding that National
Disaster Response Force team has been deployed for rescue and
relief operations.
The flood situation was being constantly monitored
and the water level in Sone had receded marginally, he said.
PTI
