Patna: The floods caused by the swollen Ganga and Kosi rivers have wreaked havoc in Bhagalpur district, displacing thousands from their villages in the diara areas. At least nine blocks have been affected, both south and north of the Ganga, in the district. The severity of the situation has prompted the lifting of gates at the Farakka barrage in West Bengal, releasing 10.50 lakh cusecs of water.This discharge is expected to lower the Ganga’s water level, but the flood situation remains dire in Patna district’s Hathidah area as well as in Munger and Bhagalpur.
In Bhagalpur district, the affected blocks include Sultanganj, Nathnagar, Bhagalpur Sadar, Sabour, Kahalgaon and Pirpainty on the southern side of the Ganga and Naugachhia, Rangda, Gopalpur, Bihpur and Ismailpur on the northern side. The northern areas are also dealing with floodwaters from the Kosi river.
In Bhagalpur city, Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University has locked its gates, preventing displaced people from using the campus as a shelter. The displaced, who have come with their belongings and cattle, have taken refuge on National Highway 31 and the approach road to the Vikramshila bridge. Similar shelters were found on NH-80 and Sabour-Jamsi road in southern Bhagalpur.
The floods have inundated the diara areas and caused erosion, threatening villages in Pirpainty block of Bhagalpur and Kadhagola block of Katihar district. WRD minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said the Ganga’s water level would start decreasing in the coming days. The Central Water Commission forecast a drop of 6cm at Digha Ghat and Gandhi Ghat on Tuesday, though the river’s downstream levels remain high. At Hathidah, Bhagalpur and Kahalgaon, the Ganga’s levels are expected to rise further.
Similarly, in northern Bhagalpur, the Kosi river’s level remains dangerously high with the discharge through the Birpur barrage reaching 2.07 lakh cusecs. The situation is unlikely to improve soon.

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