Patna/Bettiah: Heavy rainfall in Nepal pushed up the water levels of the Kosi and Gandak rivers on Tuesday, prompting authorities to open more gates at barrages and raising fears of flooding in several districts of north Bihar.As the Kosi swelled, 20 of the 56 gates of the Birpur barrage were opened in the morning to release excess water downstream. On Monday, only seven gates had been opened.According to the flood bulletin issued by the water resources department, water discharge through the Birpur barrage stood at 1.85 lakh cusecs at 2 pm on Tuesday. The situation appeared more alarming in the Gandak basin, where discharge through the Valmikinagar barrage rose to 2 lakh cusecs by the same time.The sharp rise in the Gandak’s water level followed continuous rain in Nepal’s Terai region. Data from the barrage control room showed that discharge, which was 92,900 cusecs at 10pm on Monday, climbed to 1.69 lakh cusecs by 10am on Tuesday and crossed 2 lakh cusecs by the afternoon. By evening, the figure had touched 2.03 lakh cusecs.The rising water level has heightened the risk of flooding in the low-lying areas of Bagaha, Bettiah and Gopalganj. Officials said embankments were being monitored round the clock and surveillance had been intensified in vulnerable areas.Water resources department executive engineer Iqbal Alam said, “Officials are continuously monitoring the embankments. It is likely that the water level will become constant in the next two to three hours, which will be a relief for the people living in the lower areas.”The flood bulletin indicated that the carrying capacities of the Kosi and Gandak had not yet reached critical levels downstream, as both rivers were flowing above or close to the danger mark at only one location each.The situation, however, appeared more worrying in the Bagmati basin. The river was flowing above the danger mark at six places — Dheng, Sonakhan, Dubbadhar, Kansar, Kataunjha and Benibad — intensifying fears of flooding in Sitamarhi and Muzaffarpur districts.The threat is unlikely to ease immediately, with weather forecasts predicting more heavy rainfall over the catchment areas of the Kosi, Gandak and Bagmati rivers in Nepal on Tuesday and Wednesday.In contrast, water flow in the Sone, the main river in south Bihar, has remained largely stable.
