Bihar: Ganga water overtops NH-80, floods many Bhagalpur areas

BHAGALPUR: With the Ganga water overtopping the NH-80 between Khankitta and Ghoshpur while touching the danger level in Bhagalpur and inundating many low-lying areas, the inhabitants are facing a grim situation of the district.
Floodwaters entered several villages of Sabour, Kahalgaon, Pirpainty, Nathnagar, Sultanganj, Sahkund, Rangra, Ismailpur and Narayanpur blocks, leaving the affected population in a difficult situation. The residents of diara areas have started shifting to high altitude places along with their belongings and livestock.
Many families had to climb on the rooftop of their thatched houses in order to save themselves and their belongings, whereas some have erected bamboo structures to take shelter, hoping that the floodwaters might recede soon.
Several schools in different blocks besides some areas of Bhagalpur College of Engineering (BCE) and Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University (TMBU) are also facing difficulties as floodwaters entered the low-lying areas of hostels and academic premises.
The district administration has alerted its block and circle level officials besides the district unit of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) for any eventuality. Sources said the circle officers (COs) and block development officers (BDOs) are conducting surveys in the diara areas and the villages affected by floodwaters.
Health department officials as well as SHOs of different police stations have also been alerted.
"We are keeping a vigil on the present situation and have directed the officials to keep a watch. The water level of river Ganga is near the danger level but nowhere the road communication is affected in the district, as of now. Ganga water has entered the low-lying areas and diara areas and people there are affected," DM Subrat Kumar Sen said.
The DM said instructions have been given to keep vigil on private boats plying in the Ganga as many residents of diara areas do farming in the vast agriculture land mass.