Flood claims 4 lives in Kishanganj district

KISHANGANJ: Though there has lately been a let-up in the overall flood situation across Kishanganj district, but not before claiming four precious human lives, flood fury has now turned towards Katihar district after food waters flowed downstream and all the three rivers, including Mahananda, Ganga and turbulent Kosi, are on an upsurge now in the area of Katihar district.
Katihar Mahananda division superintending engineer (SE) Shyam Ram Paswan, talking to TOI on Thursday, said as the river Mahananda on its downstream was swelling, it was building up tremendous pressures on the two embankments-the 31km long Barkhol to Diwanganj as well as on 51km long Jhauwa to Barsoi and Kusidah embankments on the river Mahananda.
“The rampaging Mahananda is also threatening different spurs at Jhauwa and Azamnagar,” he told.
The surging Mahananda was vastly eroding the banks at strategic Ramayanpur and Jhauwa which could ultimately pose a threat to the embankment , the SE said, adding “All the executive and junior engineers, positioned at Salmari, Barsoi, Azamnagar and Diwanganj, were asked to maximize their efforts to protect the embankment at all costs.”
The ‘saucer-like’ Katihar district, which is encircled by Mahananda and at its lower tips by Ganga and Kosi , was witnessing a big surge in water-levels in the rivers Ganga and Kosi as well.
“The rivers Ganga and Kosi were, however, rising slowly at the moment,” the SE said.
According to Katihar ADM (disaster management) Rajendra Prasad, three blocks of Kadwa, Amdabad and partly Manihari were impacted as flood waters have inundated large swathe of the low-lying areas in these blocks. The rampaging flood waters had also crippled rural road connectivity, he said.
Though flood waters had not as yet swamped the houses in these areas, authorities are keeping a watch as rivers indicated ascendancy, the ADM told.
In flood-ravaged Kishanganj district, four persons, Santosh Murmu (of village Ghordigha) Munwar (Kochadhaman) Santosh Mandal (Bahadurganj ) and Mukhbir (Halikhuwa ) were reportedly drowned on Wednesday, according to official and unofficial sources.
As flood waters were receding in many water-logged bustees in the district town, the residents are cruelly exposed to accumulated dirt and slush. In some parts, people apprehended outbreak of water-borne diseases as well, says Pradip Kumar Saha in Rollbag area.
The rampaging Kosi waters have inundated many villages across Supaul and Saharsa districts in Kosi division. Supaul ADM Arun Kumar, however, said that flood waters were receding in the district.Meanwhile, a tangible dip in the water discharge level of Kosi at Bhimnagar barrage, near Birpur and Barahkshetra, which tumbled down from Wednesday’s 2,50,560 and 2,01,700 cusecs to 2,27,010 and 1,92,900 cusecs at 2pm on Thursday, has brought a reprieve to engineers, according to CWC office at Purnia.