River Gandak posing threat to Bagaha villages

Speed Post News Network

Bagaha: River Gandak is posing serious threat to many villages located along its bank under Bagaha Sub -Division in West Champaran district. With its water level is rising slowly but steadily, the Gandak is getting closer to village Dhumnagar under Thakarana block. It has already eroded over a dozen acres of with standning paddy and sugarcane crops.

The godown of Primary Agriculture Credit Society (PACS), Dhumnagar, is hardly 80 metres away from the river, said Ratan Kumar, son of Prajapati Devi, Mukhia, Dhumnagar Panchayat. The river keeps changing its course, Junaid Khan, a West Champaran District Board Member from Thakaraha, said adding the villagers have to plan their re-location to avoid being completely inundated.

The villagers say that Amawa Protection (AP) embankment on the right bank of river Gandak, which  lies in  Kushinagar district in Uttar Pradesh (UP), protects them but it is too weak to withstand  the fury of the river this year. The UP Government appears to be indifferent about its  maintenance.

Executive Engineer (EE) Pipara-Piparasi Gandak Embankment Protection, Division-1, Ramesh Kumar Singh, is learnt to have sent an SOS to the EE, Flood Protection, Kushinagar district, UP, requesting him to start AP embankment strengthening work. Jagiraha section of Pipara-Piparasi embankment is also facing threat from the river. Assistant Engineer (AE) Madan Mohan, however, said the situation is under control.

Meanwhile, Bagaha town, which is located along the left bank of the Gandak, and Dindyalnagar locality (Ward No 27), are also facing flood threat as the river is frequently changing its course.