Boys move at a flooded road at Narkatiya Ganj in West Champarn on Sunday. (Source: PTI)
In the flood-hit stretch from Uttar Pradesh to Assam, river water levels are flowing above the danger level in more than half the flood forecasting stations. Data compiled by the Central Water Commission (CWC) show “moderate”, “high” or “unprecedented” conditions in the rivers at 33 of 57 stations. Three of these places have been marked as going through “unprecedented flood” conditions — Balrampur (UP), Dumariaghat (Bihar) and Jhawa (Bihar) — with Monday’s levels in these forecasting stations exceeding their highest ever flood levels.
The Rapti at Balrampur station was flowing above the previous highest level of 105.51 m, witnessed in August 2014. The flood forecast suggests the level is still rising in Balrampur. The Gandak at Dumariaghat is flowing above the previous highest of 63.6 m, also witnessed during August 2014. Here, too, the forecast is that the level will continue to rise. The forecast for the Mahananda at Jhawa station, however, is of a fall in the level, although it has crossed the 33.51 m recorded 30 years ago, in August 1987.
Of the other 30 stations where rivers were flowing above the danger mark but not at unprecedented levels, 11 stations recorded rising levels, 13 falling levels and 6 steady levels, according to Monday’s update. Even at the 24 flood forecasting stations where the rivers were flowing below the danger mark, the CWC update shows the levels were still over the warning level.
When a river is flowing at or above the warning mark but below the danger mark, it is said to be at “low flood” level. Of the 24 stations where the conditions are of “low flood”, the levels are forecast to rise at 9, fall in 13 and remain steady at the remaining 2. The CWC carries out its flood forecasting with a network of 221 forecasting stations at major locations across the country. Of these, 166 are level forecasting stations and 55 are inflow forecasting stations for major dams and reservoirs across the country.
The network begins issuing a flood forecast whenever the level crosses the warning level, based on the rainfall pattern and the dynamic flow conditions in the basin.
