PATNA: With the large scale construction of embankments, dams and barrages, the seismologically-vulnerable region of Bihar runs the risk of repeating the Chamoli disaster sooner or later. The devastation caused by a breach in the Kosi embankment at Kusaha in 2008 is still fresh in people’s minds.
According to experts, if any dam or barrage in north Bihar collapses due to an earthquake, it will wreak havoc on the entire region.
The head of the geology department in Patna University, Atul Aditya Pandey, points out that an outburst of glacial lakes in the higher reaches of the Kosi, Gandak and Mahananda rivers in Nepal or China will play havoc with the lower reaches of Bihar. “If there is any damage to the embankments by a high-intensity earthquake, the entire northern part of the state will face unprecedented floods,” he says.
Geological Survey of India (GSI) director Bishwapriya observes that higher dams cause more damage to life and property. “The people of north Bihar inhabiting the downstream areas are more vulnerable to floods caused by breaches in dams or release of huge amounts of water through the barrage in Nepal. However, there is no immediate danger to them from glacier bursts in far off areas in Nepal or China,” he claims.
Environmentalist Mehta Nagendra Singh recalls that approximately 2.7 million people were affected when the Kosi broke its embankment at Kusaha in 2008, submerging several districts of Nepal and India.
Former GSI director Narmadeshwar Dayal points out, “The embankment built on the Bagmati for the construction of a dam in Belwa area of Sheohar district was damaged in July, 2020 due to heavy water pressure. Consequently, water from the river gushed into many villages of Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga. Heavy water discharge from the Valmikinagar barrage at approximately the same time submerged low-lying farmlands in West Champaran and Gopalganj districts, causing great loss to the farmers.”