Flood alert sounded in Bihar, UP, Pg7

Key Highlights:

• An earthquake in Tibet triggered flash floods in Nepal's Bhotekoshi river, leading to a flood alert in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
• Bihar authorities opened all 36 gates of the Gandak Barrage at Valmikinagar as a precautionary measure.
• A massive inflow of approximately 250,000 cusecs was projected for the Gandak Barrage, a significant increase from its current discharge rate.
• Around 5,000 people were evacuated from riverine areas in West Champaran, Bihar, as part of preparedness efforts.
• Border districts Maharajganj and Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh were also put on high alert following the flood warnings.

Detailed Insights:

• The Bhotekoshi river surge in Nepal feeds into the Gandak river, which is a major transboundary river flowing into India.
• The Gandak Barrage is critical for managing water flow and mitigating flood risks in the downstream regions of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
• The Central Flood Control Cell at Sinchai Bhawan in Patna was activated for round-the-clock monitoring and public reporting of flood-related emergencies.
• The Gandak river, known as Narayani in Nepal, had a water level of 4.77 meters at the Devghat gauge, which is below its warning level of 7.30 meters and danger level of 9 meters.
• The maximum discharge recorded at the Gandak Barrage this year was 224,000 cusecs on July 14, with a historical high of 562,500 cusecs on September 28, 2024.
• Chief Ministers of both Bihar and Uttar Pradesh held meetings to review flood preparedness and directed local administrations to ensure necessary measures.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Cusec: A unit of flow rate, representing one cubic foot of fluid per second, commonly used for measuring river discharge.
• Barrage: A type of low-head dam consisting of a series of gates that control water flow, often used for irrigation and flood management.
• Disaster Management: The systematic process of preparing for, responding to, and recovering from natural or man-made disasters.
• Transboundary River: A river that crosses at least one political border, either between countries or between sub-national entities.