PATNA: Amid fear of flood in Kosi, about 70,000 people have been evacuated from nine districts of north Bihar. However reports say that the evacuation exercise has been marred at several areas owing to mismanagement, shortage of food material, tents and tarpaulin sheets.
The government has already launched forced evacuation of over four lakh people living inside and close to the river embankment. Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi urged people to move to nearby relief camps.
Following a landslide caused by torrential rains in Nepal’s Sunkoshi river, which is a major tributary of the Kosi river, water level in the dam has risen creating alarm in the area and it is being said that the current level is more than enough to create devastating floods in lower streams flowing through Bihar.
Though Nepal’s engineers have attempted to blast blockades to release water slowly, the volume of water is very high and experts feel that it may breach the embankment at several areas.
“Altogether 117 relief camps have been set up in seven districts” said Ashok Kumar, an officer at disaster management department.