Rising Gandak waters set flood alarm ringing (Hindu 16 September 2010)

Patna: North Bihar faces the prospect of a severe flood with the turbulent waters of the Gandak putting a huge strain on the Saran embankment near Simaria village in Gopalganj district.
State Water Resources and Disaster Management authorities told The Hindu on Wednesday that the embankment was in an “extremely critical condition” and “could cave in any moment” owing to pressure created by rising water levels of the Gandak due to discharge from Nepal.
“The Gandak has been steadily eroding the 500-metre stretch of the embankment in Gopalganj's Barauli block for the past four days…the situation is indeed grim,” State Water Resources Department Principal Secretary Ajay Naik said from Gopalganj.
Alarmed at the prospect of a destructive deluge, villagers from at least 10 villages in and around Simaria have begun leaving their homes since Monday, with their livestock and valuables in tow.
The State Government sounded a high alert on Monday as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held an emergency meeting with the Chief Secretary and authorities from the disaster management, water resources and road construction departments and directed operations on a war footing.
While disaster management authorities refused to confirm the number of villages which might be afflicted in the event of an embankment “cave-in”, reports placed the number at a possible 200 in 7-8 panchayats in and around Barauli block.
Special Secretary (Disaster Management) Satyendra informed that rescue operations were under way with five National Disaster Response Force teams, including one from Orissa, being rushed to the spot of the possible breach.
Authorities said motor-boats for patrolling and guiding rescue operations were being deployed, while National Highway 28 near Gopalganj is under a strict vigil.
Yamuna level likely to decline (Hindu 16 September 2010)
The water in the Yamuna continued to flow above the danger mark on Wednesday and at 5 p.m. the level was 205.78 metres. Officials said the level would rise a little at night but start decreasing by Thursday morning.
An Irrigation and Flood Control Department official said the water level will remain largely constant for sometime before rising again to 205.82 metres.
Relief expected
“There will be a slow decrease in the level initially, but from Friday onwards we expect more relief. The river will climb down from the present levels in another 48 hours unless there is more rain in the catchment areas and more discharge from Haryana,” the official said.
The official said the maximum discharge of water from Haryana's Hathni Kund barrage on Wednesday was around 53,000 cusecs.Experts said the 2,65,000 cusecs of water released into the river has led to the rise in the level, but is not likely to create a flood-like situation