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As several parts of Bihar are grappling with severe flooding due to heavy discharge of water from the Kosi Barrage in Birpur, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha on Monday assured that the state government is working in coordination with the central government to mitigate the flooding situation.
Speaking to the media, Sinha assured that safety measures will be taken to keep "people safe." Deputy CM Sinha said, "Such a situation has been created after half a century. 6,61,000 cusecs of water have been released. Bihar is experiencing this for the first time. But the government is alert. It will not be able to cause much damage... The Bihar government and the central government will fight this together. We will keep our people safe... We are in contact with the officials of many districts." Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Bihar's Disaster Management Minister Santosh Suman visited the State Emergency Operations Centre to review the flood situation in the state and said that emergency teams are on high alert to provide relief and support. He said, "The entire teams of the Disaster Management Authority, SDRF, and NDRF are on alert mode in all flood-affected districts. We are providing relief at all affected places. We have hired many boats and also have boat ambulances. Relief shelters are also operational, and people are being evacuated. The Centre is also on alert. We have adequate teams of SDRF and NDRF in the state. If required, we will ask for more NDRF teams from the Centre." Several parts of Bihar are struggling with severe flooding due to heavy water discharge from the Kosi Barrage in Birpur, following relentless rainfall in the catchment areas of Nepal. Rivers are at or above danger levels in many bordering districts. A massive volume of water has been released from the Kosi and Gandak barrages, affecting northern Bihar and Nepal. Floods in Sitamarhi followed a breach in the Mandar dam in the Belsand block on September 29. Floodwaters have also entered the Katra Bakuchi Power Grid in Muzaffarpur, leaving 45,000 homes without power, sources added. Officials have cut off power as a precaution and plan to restore it after water levels drop. Sunil Kumar, an engineer at the power station, said, "The water has entered the control room of the power grid. Keeping safety in mind, the power supply can be shut down anytime in 22 panchayats in Katra block. Approximately 42,000-43,000 consumers will have to face the problem. Power will be cut off after the instructions of the department officials..." Residents have expressed their frustrations with the situation. "The administration is not active; no one has come to see the situation yet," said a resident of Muzaffarpur. The Kosi River has flooded many northeastern districts, disrupting normal life in Supaul. "Our homes are filled with water; I have seen this kind of flooding since 1961. No one has come to meet us yet," shared Joginder Mehta, a resident of Supaul. Another resident added, "I have been here in the village since 1980. Houses have been broken, and we are also facing a loss in agriculture as well." (ANI)
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