Roads blocked in flood-hit Bihar

The Gopalganj district administration has alerted the villagers in the low-lying area along the Gandak river following the release of water from the Valmikinagar barrage on Thursday amid heavy rain

An approach road to a bridge over the Kataha river collapsed at Marjadi in Bihar’s West Champaran on Thursday and blocked access to Marjadi and Marjadpur villages.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar conducts aerial survey of the flood affected area in North Bihar, in Patna on July 6. (PTI)

Ajay Prakash Rai, block development officer (Gaunaha), said the road collapsed due to erosion. Around 600 households in the area are surrounded by the Ganguli, Kataha, and Harbora rivers.

Satynarayan Paswan, a resident of Marjadi, has been unable to return home for three days because of the collapse. “I will be putting up in my dhaba till water level recedes,” said Paswan.

In the neighbouring Sikta, Lauriya, and Maintand blocks of West Champaran, floodwaters have inundated 14 rural roads as the Sikarahana and other rivers in the area are in full spate, said Manish Kumar, circle officer, Sikta.

The Gopalganj district administration has alerted the villagers in the low-lying area along the Gandak river following the release of water from the Valmikinagar barrage on Thursday amid heavy rain. “Around 1,000 people have been shifted to safer locations. Things are under control. The embankment is being patrolled routinely. The need for the fortification of embankment...has been necessitated,” said Nawal Kishor Choudhary, district magistrate, Gopalganj.

In the East Champaran district, tens of thousands of people in seven blocks have been hit by floods. The district administration has been running community kitchens for them at 29 locations in the district.

In Muzaffarpur, the Budhi Gandak and Bagmati rivers continued to flow above danger marks at Shikandarpur and Kataujha.