Bihar floods: Gandak breaches embankments, enters new areas of Saran

Floodwaters from the swollen Gandak river entered new areas of Bihar’s Saran district after embankment breaches, inundating farmlands, houses and roads. Authorities intensified rescue and relief operations, deploying 12 NDRF and seven SDRF teams as rivers remained above danger levels

Patna: Floodwaters from the swollen Gandak river on Friday entered new areas of Saran district following breaches in embankments, as Bihar grappled with floods with no relief in sight.

The Gandak, Ganga, Kosi, Bagmati and Ghagra rivers are flowing above the danger mark at several locations following heavy rainfall in Nepal and Uttar Pradesh, officials said.

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The swollen Gandak has put embankments in Saran, Gopalganj, East and West Champaran, Vaishali, Supaul and Patna, among other districts, at risk, a senior Water Resources Department (WRD) official said.

Extremely high pressure was being exerted on both the left and right embankments at certain places, he said.

As more farmlands, houses and roads were inundated in Saran, the authorities intensified relief and rescue operations, with 12 NDRF and seven SDRF teams deployed in the district, the Disaster Management Department (DMD) said in a statement.

Additional teams have been mobilised from Bettiah, Gopalganj, Bhagalpur, Supaul, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Samastipur and East Champaran as floodwaters spread to new areas, it said.

More than 3,000 ration packets have already been air-dropped by IAF helicopters in flood-affected areas, while over 5,000 more packets are expected to be dropped by the evening, it added.

The 12 NDRF teams, comprising 360 trained personnel, are operating with more than 50 boats. The SDRF teams have over 140 trained personnel and more than 36 boats, the department said.

Relief supplies are also being rushed to Saran from across the state, it said.

The district administration is monitoring the situation and coordinating relief distribution, rescue operations and the availability of essential services in affected areas, the statement said.