By Avijit Biswas
Bhagalpur: With the Ganga continuing to rise over the past few days, large areas of Bhagalpur district have been inundated. The situation is particularly severe in the riverine belt, where flooding has impacted rail and road communications.
Floodwaters have overtopped roads and are threatening railway tracks in some areas. Train services on the Bhagalpur-Kiul section of the Eastern Railway were temporarily suspended last night after water reached the tracks between Bariayarpur and Ratanpur stations, located between Bhagalpur and Jamalpur. While some trains have been cancelled, long-distance mail and express services are being diverted through alternative routes. Vehicular traffic on the Mokama-Farakka National Highway (NH-80) has also come to a standstill, with floodwaters flowing over the highway on stretches between Bhagalpur and Munger, as well as Bhagalpur and Kahalgaon.
In the adjoining Munger district, floods caused by the rising Ganga have submerged vast areas. The river is maintaining its rising trend along its entire course through the state. According to local authorities, water levels are expected to stabilise from tomorrow and then begin to recede. However, if this trend does not change within the next 24 hours, the flood situation in Bhagalpur and neighbouring districts may worsen.
Six blocks in Bhagalpur district—Gopalpur, Ismailpur, Nathnagar, Sabour, Kahalgaon, and Sultanganj—have been severely affected by the floods. In the meantime, floodwaters have entered some city localities near the banks of the Ganga. The administrative block of Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University (TMBU) has also been flooded, forcing the university administration to evacuate some hostels located near the affected area.
Several relief camps have been set up for the flood-affected population. Bhagalpur District Magistrate Nawal Kishore Choudhury held an online meeting with circle officers today, issuing instructions to ensure the necessary arrangements in the relief camps. He also visited the camps in the city to oversee relief efforts.
