As the Bihar gets ready to face the fury of Kosi for yet another time, the centre has assured all possible help to the state government. New Delhi has also dispatched several columns of Army and National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) to Bihar,
Meanwhile, the state government is keeping its fingers crossed and praying for no precipitation in the Kosi catchment areas in Nepal. If this happens, it could cause further build-up of water and could break the damned up area, leading to disastrous consequences. Water level of Kosi River is rising after the Nepalese Army carried out controlled blasts on Saturday afternoon to remove the landslide debris that has blocked the tributaries of the Kosi. The immediate danger is for people living in Supaul, Saharsa, Madhepura, Madhubani, Khagaria, Araria and Bhagalpur districts.
"Their Army is trying to free-up the damned up area, which released several thousand cusec of water in the river," said Bihar Water Resources Minister Vijay Chaudhary, "This has increased the water level in the river. Several low intensity blasts have been conducted, therefore we expect more water in the river by late Sunday night or Monday morning." The Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who did an ariel survey of the flood prone region, also said that the situation is serious. More than 10 lakh cusecs of water is expected to come gushing into the river, when the dammed up area would finally be cleared.
With the heightened threat of flood, the state government has ordered evacuation of people living within the embankment areas. According to the state government data, so far 44,000 people have been evacuated, but over 60,000 people are still present in the areas. The officials said that since most of the people are refusing to leave their homes, the state government has forced to order a forceful evacuation. The people have complained to inadequate facilities at the relief camps. However, the state government officials have refuted this charge and said that they are more concerned about their valuables. At the same time, several residents of the affected districts have complained that essential commodities have been started to "disappear". Schools and colleges have been closed in these areas and those on the higher grounds have been converted into relief camps. The state government has constructed more than 120 relief camps so far.
The state government has said that it is also taking preventive measures to save people living around the embankments. "We are flashing messages through loudspeakers. Our officials are also asking people to move to higher grounds and relief camps. It's tough to make people leave their homes, but we are trying to save as many lives as possible," said a senior official of the Disaster Management Department.
