Bagaha, July 3: About 50,000 people in the catchment areas of Gandak in Bagaha police district is living under the constant fear of a deluge.

Besides incessant rain and the rising water levels of nearly half-a-dozen hilly rivers, a technical snag in the Gandak Barrage is threatening to wreak havoc on their lives.

Out of the total 36 gates in the barrage, at least three — number 6, 7 and 9 — are jammed for quite some time. When large volume of water is to be released in to the barrage, the water flows over these gates, threatening to flood the catchment areas.

According to Hari Shankar Kushwaha, a resident of Kailashnagar locality in Bagaha town, poor maintenance of the Gandak barrage is responsible for the snag, which may prove fatal for a large population living in the catchment areas of Gandak.

Even yesterday, when 3.57lakh cusecs of water were released into the barrage, the water flowed over the three gates because they could not be lifted, Kushwaha said.

More than a decade ago, several gates of the barrage were damaged because of a similar snag, when they could not be lifted to make way for water released into the barrage in high force.

According to a report, the executive engineer of the barrage division, K.D. Singh, wrote a letter to his counterpart (mechanical) yesterday regarding the technical glitch in the gates. Singh, in his letter, requested the mechanical engineer to make urgent arrangements to fix the problem and warned him of the lurking threat because of the present situation.

Replying to the letter the same day, mechanical engineer Mahendra Prasad Rai told Singh that repair work had started but low power voltage was acting as a deterrent in the process.

Singh or Yadav could not be contacted for an update over the situation of the gates.

Meanwhile, the situation in at least eight panchayats under Piprasi, Madhubani Bhitaha, Bagaha and Thakraha blocks, which are badly affected because to floods, is fast improving, said Bagaha sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Rajiv Kumar Singh. “All the block development officers have been directed to be prepared for any emergency situation,” the SDM added.