Dam gates in Chandauli opened once again after heavy rainfall

Varanasi: Following two days of incessant rainfall in the hills of the Chakia region of Chandauli district, the irrigation department opened the gates of the Chandraprabha, Naugarh, and Muskhand dams on Tuesday evening to ease pressure on the reservoirs. It was the second such operation within a span of 10 days, though this time the volume of water released was comparatively lower.Irrigation department executive engineer (Chandraprabha) Harendra Kumar on Wednesday said that continuous heavy rain over the past two days filled the Chandraprabha and adjoining reservoirs to their brim. After technical assessments, the department found it necessary to release water to prevent overflow. Emergency staff were stationed at monitoring posts to keep levels under control and ensure no flooding occurred in catchment areas.For safety and water management, 4,000 cusecs and 3,092 cusecs of water were released from Musakhand and Chandraprabha dams, respectively. Additionally, 5,248 cusecs of water were released into the Chandraprabha River from Muzaffarpur and 2,064 cusecs from Latifshah dams. After bringing the situation under control, the gates of the dams were closed. The irrigation department confirmed that such releases after many years have become necessary this season due to the intensity of rainfall. The fresh outflow caused a rise in the levels of Chandraprabha and Karmanasha rivers. In view of this, the district administration has issued an advisory, urging people living along the riverbanks to stay alert and shift to safer places if rainfall continues in the coming days.