Satish Aditya
Motihari :The flood situation continues to be alarming in East Champaran District of North Bihar with 17 blocks of the district Champaran being completely ravaged following four rounds of floods since July 10, 2020, in Bagmati, Lalbakeya, Gandak, Tiar, Sarisawa, Dhanauti, Gad,Tilawe, Motiya, Kachhua andtheir other tributaries.
Patahi, Chiraiya, Ramgarhwa, Sugauli, Sangrampur, Turkaulia, Motihari, Pakaridayal,Fenehara, Madhuban, and Arraj blocks of the district are reeling under flood for the last one month. Although the turbulent Burhi Gandak, Lalbakeya, and Gandak are showing falling trend in this district but prolonged waterlogging in agricultural field and villages has made life over 8 lakh people miserable.
According to Disaster Management Department (DMD) sources, 11 panchayat under Banjariya block remain submerged due to flood in Burhi Gandak and are cut off from Motihari, the district headquarters. The flood affected people of Pachrukha panchayat have made temporary Bamboo bridge over river Burhi Gandak to reach Motihari.
Anil Kumar, ADM and Incharge, District Disaster Management Department, said that the left embankment of river Gandak and six
ring bunds in different hilly rivers were breached in the flood.The approach roads of NH 28 at Dumariya bridge over Gandak
and Bara Chakiya bridge over river Burhi Gandak were washed away in the flood. All of them were repaired on war footing.
According to report reaching Motihari, 120 roads of Road Construction Department (RCD) and other agencies have been damaged in the floods. As per reports reaching here from blocks, 124 persons have died due to the flood in the district while 125 houses were swept away in Gandak flood. The paddy and maize crops in 175 lakh hectare were also destroyed in the flood.
More than 35,000 displaced persons have taken shelter on NH28, NH28A, embankments,schools and other safer places and are awaiting help from the state government and voluntary organisations. East Champaran DM has said that 130 community kitchens were
running in flood hit areas in the district.