Bijnor prepared to handle floods, says admin

BIJNOR: The district administration has assured Bijnor’s villagers, who fear annual monsoon floods when Ganga river overflows, that the district is prepared to handle any flood-like situation this year.
“Most of the work is complete and we are only doing last-minute patchwork. Currently, we are carrying out repair work on dams and barrage gates. Ganga barrage, Sherkot and Pili damn are the areas where most of the work is being done,” ADM (finance) Ramesh Chadra told TOI.
Chandra added, “We are also working on flood security work by identifying vulnerable areas. Villages near the Kho river such as Hadakpur, Copa, Nangla Bhajja, Chamrawala and Shah Alipurare are on the radar. Settlements along the Banaili river in the Afzalgarh region like Mubarakpur Kunda, Alampur Gawdi and Biharipur are vulnerable too.”
TOI had earlier reported that people in villages such as Rawli cannot be reached unless boats are used. “For areas near the Ganga, that get completely cut off, we have arranged for 70 boats this year. These play a crucial role in rescuing stranded villagers,” Chandra said. He, however, admitted that only two of these 70 boats are motorboats.
The administration has made preparations to set up 34 flood relief camps, which can provide accommodation to displaced villagers, across the district. Preparations have also been made for 24 flood relief checkpoints, where volunteers will be on standby and ready to rush for relief or rescue operations.
Villagers, however, contest Chandra’s claim. Somnath Singh, resident of Rawli village, said, “There are no boats or preparations in place here. We have not seen any officials do any work. Rawli and Brahmpuri are among the worst hit villages in Bijnor and no official has visited us this year.”
“We don’t get much help from the administration when the floods come. The river gets flooded every year and the administration only makes temporary embankments that get washed away. Instead, they should look for more permanent solutions,” said Alampur Gawri resident Shiv Shankar Sharma.