Flooding has turned severe in Areraj block of East Champaran district in the Indian state of Bihar after the Gandak river rose above the danger mark, Indian Express Bangla reports. Late on Monday night the rising water breached a ring dam near Sareya Pandit Tola, and floodwater rushed into about a dozen surrounding villages within moments.
Low-lying parts of Nawada, Mashraulia and Sareya panchayats are under 3 to 5 feet of water. More than a hundred mud houses have been flooded, and many people have left their homes for rooftops or higher ground.
Farming has been hit hard. Wide stretches of paddy are completely under water, boats are now the only way to get around, and there is an acute shortage of clean drinking water and fodder for livestock. Hari Shankar Gupta, a resident of Sareya village, said about 10,000 people have been affected and many are going without food.
Sub-divisional magistrate Sujit Kumar and other senior officials have reached the site and begun repairing the embankment. A red alert has been issued in all three affected panchayats, and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and local divers have been deployed for rescue and relief.
Photo: Warrior.bits / Wikimedia Commons (CC0); an embankment gate on the Burhi Gandak at Mehsi, East Champaran
Source: Indian Express Bangla
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