Over five lakh people reeling under flood in Bhojpur, 16 drowned to death

Kumar Rajiv Nayan

Ara: Though the water levels of Ganga and Sone went down few centimetres late Monday evening in Bhojpur district, people could not get any respite as the flood water entered fresh areas as both the rivers are still flowing above danger mark. Hundreds of houses were either damaged in the flood or swept away by the current forcing the people to take shelter on upland or on Buxar-Koelwar embankment. The flood water has entered around 2,000 houses.The DMs of Bhojpur, Buxar, Rohtas and Kaimur districts have advised all those living in low lying areas to move to safer zones.

A number of villages in Bhojpur, Buxar, Rohtas and Kaimur districts are almost marooned. People were fleeing from diaras on Tuesday too. The Ganga is poised to break the highest water level mark level of 58 metres registered in 1994 as it was flowing about 1.75 metre above the danger mark in Bhojpur and Buxar districts. The flood water has entered  the diara belts and evacuation exercise was put into place. The DMs of these districts held meetings with the officials of the districts and issued instructions for carrying out relief work on war footing. Bhojpur DM Birendra Prasad Yadav, however, maintained  that flood water will stagnate by Wednesday evening.

The flood water is flowing over Ara -Saraiya, Ara-Salempur, Ara-Buxar, Bihia-Gaura, Shahpur-Karnamepur, REO roads and 27 other roads and even on the helipad at Majhaua village.

On Monday evening, the water of Ganga entered Krishna Nagar, Tari, Majhaua Bandh, Singh Colony, Uziar Tola, Bind Toli, Gangi, Old police Line, Chawkipur, M P Bagh, Maula Bagh and houses at Gausganj, Maruti Nagar, Balbatara, Sinhi, Maulabagh, Chandawa and other areas in Ara town. The flood water also entered about 40 villages under Ara Sadar like Karari, Madanpur, Mohanpur, Nagopur, Pirauta, Chaumukha, Devdiha, Englishpur, Kadara, Dhobaha, Baraza, Pipara Jaipal, Dumara, Basantpur,Hematpur, Pawat, Baghkol, Dariyapur, Bhadeya, Rampur, Shuklapur, Duraundha, Belaghat, Dewadi, Mainpur, Balua, Aamzuda, Khazuria, Ganghar, Bakharia, Chhotaki Sanadiya, Badaki Sanadiya, Sarangpur, Ratanpur, Baghipakad, Dharmpura, Tetariya, Pirauta, Salempur, Bela, Dumara, Singhitala, Shobhidumara, Akhtiyapur, Chaukipur, Badakagaon, Chandawa and also damaged crops. The flood water also entered 45 localities of 6 wards in Ara and 600 families have shifted to safer places in Ara on their own.

Under Barhara block in Bhojpur district, Ekauna, Barahara, Nathmalpur, Mahudahi, Khwaspur, Sinha, Paiga, Sirisiya, Babura, Neknam Tola, Kolharampur, Sabbalpur, Sohara, Tribhuani, Mauzampur and other villages,  have been inundated.

About 1.85 lakh population of 116 villages in 20 panchayats under Shahpur block are reeling under flood. The flood water is flowing about 10 to 12 feet over Shahpur-Karnamepur and Bihia Chaurasta-Damodarpur main roads.  About 30,000 persons have taken shelter at the relief camps while over 50,000 persons have migrated to safer places with their belongings.

Bihia block is also reeling under flood water of Ganga. Several villages including Pipara, Jagdishpur, Kalyanpur, Basdevpur, Rampur, Narainpur, Makhdumpur, Bulaki Tola, Dubauli, Kharauni, Doghara, Teghara, Bhojchak, Meerachak, Bandha, Narainpur-Motirampur are completely marooned. The flood water overtopped Bihia-Chaurasta-Gaura near Sandaur village, Bihia-Jagdishpur, Bihia-Bihia Chaurasta and Ara-Buxar NH 84 near Kharauni, Amrai Nawada, Gajrajganj.

The sone river is flowing two metre above the red mark at Koelwar and the flood water has entered Mahadev Chak, Semariya, Rajapur, Bindgawa, Daulatpur, Kayamnagar, Gyanpur, Babura and other villages. Dozens of huts were swept away in the current and over five dozen houses were damaged. Crops in thousands of hectare of land have been destroyed in the flood water. Under Sahar block, the flood water of Sone has entered about two dozen villages including Andhari, Baruhi and Sahar.

Bhojpur DM Birendra Prasad Yadav appealed the people to co-operate with the district administration. He said that over five lakh populations of 327 villages in 67 panchayats have been affected by the flood and 16 persons drowned to death. He further said that 35 relief camps were being run at different places in the district while 16 medical teams were sent to the flood affected areas. He said that 27 roads had been damaged in the flood and added that food packets, medicines, drinking water, candles etc were being ditributed among the flood affected people.