Ganga maintains rising trend in Patna

PATNA: The Ganga water level has crossed the danger mark substantially in the state, causing concern to the people living in the lower areas of the towns like Patna, Bhagalpur and Munger, as also in the Gangetic basin in the eastern Bihar districts of Khagaria and Katihar. The flood fear in the Gangetic basin has become acute. Further, moderate rainfall is expected till August 12.
On Monday, the Ganga was flowing 31cm above the danger level at Buxar, 41cm above the red mark at Digha and 98cm above at Gandhi Ghat in Patna town, as well as 88cm at Hathidah in Patna district.
The water level was also rising all along its downstream, including at Munger and Bhagalpur, and was flowing 71cm above the danger level at Kahalgaon, around 50km west of Farakka. The flood problem in the Ganga basin in Bihar is likely to accentuate in the next couple of days, as contrary to expectations, the water levels along its upper reaches in Uttar Pradesh (like at Allahabad and Varanasi) have gone high due to continued heavy rainfall in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and UP.
Consequently, the Ganga water has been surging along its downstream in Bihar up to Farakka in West Bengal, where the water level was 61cm above the danger level. Similarly, Burhi Gandak and Bagmati have been also adding to the water of Kosi in Khagaria district. The Kosi, passing through north Bhagalpur district, falls into the Ganga near Kursela in Katihar district.
Further, the catchment areas of several north Bihar rivers lying both in Nepal and Bihar – like of Kosi, Gandak, Bagmati, Burhi Gandak, Kamla and Mahananda — are expected to receive moderate rainfall (15mm to 64mm) up to August 12.
Similar rainfall forecast has also been made with regard to south Bihar districts and Jharkhand, where the catchment areas of rivers like Punpun and Sone also lie. On Monday, the flood bulletin issued by the state water resources department (WRD) said the water levels of both Sone and Punpun were rising.