Gandak erosion sweeps away 52 houses in West Champaran village

Bettiah: As many as 52 houses were washed away by the Gandak river due to erosion at Narahwa village in Sisai panchayat under Madhubani block of West Champaran district, Madhubani circle officer (CO) Nandlal Ram said on Friday.The CO said altogether 52 houses were destroyed, and standing crop on a vast tract of land was damaged by the turbulent Gandak river within a week. On receiving information about severe erosion, Madhubani BDO Kundan Kumar and the CO inspected the site a day earlier.He further said the district magistrate (DM) and officials of the water resources department (WRD) had been informed about the destruction caused by the river. In the meantime, anti-erosion work has started, and people have been asked to move to safer places. The administration has also begun setting up relief camps, while plastic sheets are being distributed among the affected families.He added that the process of providing compensation to erosion-hit families would be initiated soon after assessing the crop damage.According to WRD junior engineer Rajesh Kumar, the strong current of the Gandak river near Narahwa village is hampering anti-erosion work, forcing the administration to repeatedly urge people to relocate to safer areas.Mukhiya of Narahwa panchayat, Krishna Yadav, said more than 50 houses have already been washed away in the river’s strong current. Apart from this, hundreds of acres of crops are submerged. He added that, out of panic, some villagers have started demolishing their own houses.