By Avijit Biswas
Bhagalpur: This morning, the Ismailpur-Bindtoli protective embankment along the Ganga River in the Gopalpur block of Naugachia subdivision, Bhagalpur district, was breached due to the river’s increased water pressure. The breach, over 100 feet wide, occurred between spur numbers seven and eight on the approximately ten-kilometer-long embankment.
The breach has exposed a vast area of the subdivision to a serious flood threat. According to local residents, floodwaters have begun entering several villages near the Gopalpur block headquarters. Many fear that, unless the breach is quickly repaired, the floodwaters could inundate a large portion of the subdivision by tomorrow.
The situation is further complicated by the presence of numerous residents on the embankment, making it difficult for the local administration to deliver construction materials to the breach site for repair work.
District Magistrate Nawal Kishore Chowdhury, along with Vivekanand, DIG of Bhagalpur Range, and SP Naugachia Puran Jha, visited the area to assess the situation. Chowdhury emphasized that evacuating residents from the embankment is essential to facilitate repair work. Efforts are underway to evacuate these residents, with preparations also in place to evacuate others if necessary.
The SDRF team is actively working to evacuate marooned residents from Budduchak, one of the worst-affected villages. Two relief camps have been established, one at Mahipal High School in Tintanga village and another at Jagdamba Girls’ Middle School in Gopalpur, to accommodate those displaced by the flood.
Following the breach, residents have raised concerns about the effectiveness of the annual flood control measures and the significant expenditures by the government on repairing and strengthening the embankment. Bipin Kumar Mandal, a Zila Parishad member from Ismailpur, expressed his disappointment, noting that the embankment breached despite ongoing strengthening work over the past few years.
Meanwhile, the water level of the Ganga River has begun to recede since yesterday, with the river currently flowing below the danger mark in the area. However, the Central Water Commission has issued an alert, warning of a possible sharp rise in water levels between Sultanganj and Kahalgaon over the next two days.
Heavy rainfall in northwestern states has swollen rivers, contributing to the rising water levels in the Ganga. Forecasts indicate that the river’s water level is likely to increase downstream at various locations across the state in the coming days.
Read more
Bihar: New Ganga Bridge Suffers Third Collapse, Sparking Fresh Concerns Over Structural Integrity
