Bihar places five districts on alert after Nepal landslide

Patna: The Bihar government sounded flood alert in five districts after a massive landslide, triggered by recent earthquakes, blocked the Kali Gandaki river at Benibazar in Myagdi district of Nepal, leading to accumulation of a huge volume of water there.

"We have alerted East Champaran, West Champaran, Gopalganj, Siwan and Saran districts on the situation. Our department officials are also on alert. We have asked them to be prepared as a sudden breach in the Kali Gandaki river blockage may increase the water level," Water Resources Department (WRD) Secretary Dipak Kumar Singh told PTI.

Several hundred villages dot the low-lying riverine area of Gandak and they are the ones that face the immediate threat from the rising level of water.

"There is no need to panic as the place of the blockade is far from our borders. The water is expected to disperse on its way even if the blockade is breached there," Singh added.

Singh said the place of blockade of the river, which is known as Narayani and Gandak, is over 200 kilometres from Valmikinagar barrage at Indo-Nepal border and an official has been sent there to assess the situation.

WRD officials said that around 95 per cent flow of the river has stopped due to the landslides, which have created the artificial lake of about four-km-long and 200-metre-broad with about 1.5 million cubic litres of water.

Meanwhile, the sluice gates of Valmikinagar barrage on the river at Indo-Nepal border are already open as the water level is quite low at this time of peak summer.

WRD Engineer-in-Chief (North) Rajesh Kumar said the low level of water-level will prove to be helpful if there is a sudden release of water.

Last year in August, a landslide over Bhote Kosi, a major tributary of Kosi River in Nepal, had led to formation of a massive water body. It had led to high alert in Bihar on floods.

The situation was defused after Indian Army personnel helped their counterparts in the neighbouring country to gradually breach the blockade and release accumulated water in a measured manner.