Relief to people as discharge from Birpur barrage falls

Patna: Bringing relief to residents living downstream of the Kosi river, the water discharge through the Birpur barrage in Supaul district dropped by 2.70 lakh cusecs in the past 24 hours. However, the situation remained worrying along other rivers, with the Bagmati flowing over a metre above the danger mark at six locations along its downstream stretch.

Reports from Kishanganj said floodwaters from minor rivers had overtopped roads at several places in the district, while the Parman river began swelling to alarming levels in Araria. The Kamla Balan river was also flowing above the danger level at Jainagar and Jhanjharpur in Madhubani district, affecting around one lakh people.

According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), the Parman river, which was below the danger level on Monday morning, was expected to rise by 14 cm above the danger mark in Araria by night. In the last 48 hours, the river’s catchment areas in Nepal received around 200 mm of rainfall.

Despite flood threats in some regions, a sense of relief prevailed in the Kosi basin areas of Supaul, Saharsa, Khagaria, Bhagalpur and Katihar. The discharge through the Birpur barrage, which was 5.18 lakh cusecs at 2pm on Sunday, came down to 2.48 lakh cusecs by Monday afternoon.

As per the state water resources department’s forecast, rainfall is expected to be marginal across most districts, including the flood-prone regions of north Bihar.