Govt swings into action in view of flood threat from Nepal

New Delhi: A landslide in Nepal has led to creation of an artificial dam on river Kosi, triggering possibility of a flood that could affect parts of Bihar, government said here today as it swung into action to control damage.

The Crisis Management Committee (CMC), headed by Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth, held an emergency meeting here in view of the development and a decision was taken to rush some experts to Nepal besides 15 teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to Bihar. When contacted, Seth told PTI that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed all help should be rendered to Bihar as well as Nepal to meet any eventuality. Significantly, the development has occurred a day ahead of Modi`s two-day visit to Nepal.Officials said the Prime Minister was concerned over the situation and spoke to Seth to do all the needful. The Cabinet Secretary spoke to Bihar Chief Secretary and promised all assistance from the Centre. A team of experts has been rushed to Nepal to help them with technical support, the officials said, adding if need be more experts could be sent. Eight teams of NDRF have been sent to Bihar from Delhi and seven from Kolkata to help in rescue and relief. The priority is evacuation of people and animals from the areas that could bear the brunt of the floods. Due to the landslide, about 20-27 lakh cusecs of water has got collected in the artificial dam, the officials said. Nepalese authorities are making "controlled breaches" in it so that water can be released slowly and in less quantity. However, if these efforts do not succeed and the artificial dam bursts, parts of Bihar could face "temporary floods" within 14-18 hours, the officials said. Places like Madhepura, Supaul and Saharsa could face the maximum damage if floods occur, the officials said, adding places like Madhubani and Khagaria could also have some impact. About six years back, floods due to breach in Kosi river had led to massive devastation in Bihar.