The Kakolat waterfall in Nawada district has been closed for tourists this monsoon after at least 500 people had to be evacuated from the area since Saturday following flash floods that raised the water level in the pool below.

The Nawada district administration took the decision to close the waterfall on Sunday. Hundreds of tourists has had close shaves since Saturday after flash floods gushed down following heavy rains in adjoining areas of Jharkhand.

"We are closing Kakolat waterfall for visitors for the entire rainy season due to danger caused by flash floods following heavy rainfall in the hills," Nawada district magistrate Manoj Kumar told The Telegraph. "The sudden rush of water and subsequent rise in the water level in the pool below can endanger lives of people visiting the falls."

Caretaker Jamuna Paswan, appointed by the Kakolat Vikas Parishad, said he evacuated around 500 people from the area near the waterfall and pool since Saturday.

"Brief flash floods occurred twice on Saturday, but the one that gushed down the waterfall on Sunday was serious," he told The Telegraph. "It lasted for a long time and brought so much water that the level of the pool rose by 10 to 11 feet. Such flow also brings small rocks tumbling down, which can seriously injure people."

District magistrate Manoj said police reinforcements will be sent to the area to ensure that nobody ventures into the pool below the waterfall to take a dip.

Located around 150km south of Patna in the Ektara forest of Govindpur block, the Nawada district website says the Kakolat waterfall is part of the Lohbar river which flows into Bihar from the hilly area of Hazaribagh in Jharkhand. The spot is a tourist attraction, especially during the summer months and hundreds of people descend at the falls daily. The crowd runs into thousands on Sundays.

Govindpur block development officer Deepak Kaushik constantly monitored the situation and sent his circle officers and two vehicle loads of police to assist Jamuna in removing people from the danger zone.

"Teenagers and youths who come for picnics to the waterfall are the most difficult to evacuate as they insist on going ahead in spite of the danger involved," said Deepak. "But we removed all visitors safely without any casualty."

The water level in the reservoir is controlled with the help of a sluice gate, he said, and water released gushes down through natural channels and is used for irrigation purposes by farmers in the villages located in the area.

"We are going to put up a board that the waterfall is out of bounds for people till further orders. A magistrate will be deputed with a section of police force," said Deepak.