Ganga receding but Karmnasa entering new areas in Buxar

Kumar Rajiv Nayan

Buxar: The Ganga in Buxar district remained stable at 61.26 metrer even on Saturday and is expected to come down even further by the night. In fact, the water level of Ganga is receding at the speed of 4cm per hour at Allahabad and 1cm per hour at Vanarasi. If this trend continues, the people will get some respite from the flood in a day or two, said  Executive Engineer, Flood Control, Buxar, Siddheshwar Sah. But the water level of Karmnasa is increasing and entering new areas.

The water of Karmnasa river entered Banarpur, Tiwai, Dharmpura, Rohanibhan, Jalilpur, Sikraul, Chausa, Narbatpur villages. The people have taken shelter at schools, community halls and houses of their relatives. The Buxar district administration failed to provide even a single boat for them. At least two dozen houses have been swept away in the flood so far.

Maharshi Chyawan Mahavidyalya at Chausa is submerged in the flood water of Karmnasa. The college has been closed due to flood. Principal Hriday Narain Choubey said that the flood water has entered classrooms, office and record room and damaging important documents, papers and registers of the college.

As the district administration failed to rise to the occasion, the locals extended helping hands to the flood affected people. Headmaster, Ahrauli Middle School, Prabhakar Dubey has set up a relief centre on the campus of the school and is distributing food packets, candle, match boxes, milk and drinking water to at least 47 flood affected families staying there.

A boat carrying 20 persons capsized in river Dharamawati near Arak village under Chakki block in Buxar district on Friday evening but all of them were rescued with the help of the local villagers. A medical team rushed to the spot and treated all of them.

After much criticism, Buxar district administration distributed dry food packets and polythene sheets among 199 flood affected families on Saturday. The district officials reached the flood affected areas for the first time in 10 days. Buxar SDO, Gautam Kumar, said that a boat has been requisitioned for Koirpurava locality and added that the well to do families refused to take the food packets.

Dr Anil Singh suspected outbreak of epidemic after the flood due to lack of sanitation. People will be prone to different kinds of water borne diseases, he said advising them them to drink boiled water and keep their surroundingclean.