Patna, July 16: Failure in building embankments in key areas in the Kosi belt and improper dredging in the rivers have led to floods in five districts.

The state government put the blame on the Centre even as deaths of 17 people have been reported in the past week from flood-hit areas.

According to estimates, around 7.4 lakh people have been affected in the five districts — Muzaffarpur, Araria, Kishanganj, Purnea and Katihar. All the seven rivers — Bagmati, Beniwaad, Mahananda, Kosi, Jhava, Denghraghat and Basua — are flowing above danger mark in the area.

Water resources department minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said nothing much could be done to check the flow of water, which comes directly from Nepal, as the affected areas did not have embankments.

“The reasons for the floods in north Bihar are totally different. We do not have embankments on the rivers, which have caused floods. Only the Union government can solve the amount of water to be released from Nepal. And, the biggest challenge we face is the approval from the Centre for put up embankments. It is the duty of the Ganga Flood Control Commission, which comes under the Union ministry of water resources, to give the final approval for such schemes costing more than Rs 12.5 crore,” he said.

According to rule, any embankment or anti-erosion work project involving cost component of more than Rs 12.5 crore has to be approved by the Centre. Data with the state disaster management department reveals that 1,327 villages are affected because of floods and 1,400 houses have been washed away. The government claimed that it was serious about protecting these areas but in absence of projects being sanctioned by the Centre has not allowed it to start work on the embankment construction.

Whether the state can build an embankment at a budget below the Rs 12.5-crore mark, a senior water resources department official said: “We can build several embankments within Rs 12.5 crore.”

On the state’s responsibility to prevent floods, Choudhary said: “We are doing our duty honestly. As soon as the flood season gets over in October, the water resources department starts preparations for the next year. Local officials assess the situation at different points, especially the vulnerable ones, and they send the report to the technical advisory committee. Based on the report, anti-erosion schemes and flood management projects are formulated. The committee comprises officials not only from the water resources department but representatives of the Ganga Flood Control Commission as well. They examine the technical feasibility and hand over schemes to the review committee, which set priorities among all schemes. The reason for the flood is absence of the embankments in these districts. If the Union government cooperates, the state will not face such a situation,” said Choudhary.

Reacting to the minister’s claim, Dinesh Mishra, who has worked extensively on Bihar floods, said: “If embankment is the solution, there would not have been an increase in the flood-prone areas in Bihar after constructing such bunds in the post-Independence era.”

In 1952, when Bihar had just 160km of embankments, the figure for flood-prone area stood at 25 lakh hectares. Records of 1994 showed that the flood-prone area in Bihar had gone up to more than 68 lakh hectares even though the length of embankment at that time increased to more than 3,000km. Till this year, embankments of 3,719km have been constructed in the state. “These figures clearly show that the minister is not talking about a real solution,” Mishra said.

The flood expert, who has several research articles and books on this subject to his credit, added that instead of obstructing the water flow, efforts should be made to provide proper draining facility to avoid accumulation.

Interestingly, the state spends between Rs 600 and Rs 700 crore on anti-erosion work and about Rs 50 crore on flood management every year. A senior official of the water resources department said: “We spend around Rs 700 crore for planning and purchasing equipment for anti-erosion works, which include bank safety through sand-filled geo-textile bags and boulders to check erosion. So far as constructing embankments are concerned, it depends on a river’s size and the soil. The money is spent accordingly.”

Minister Choudhary has also set the priorities in the flood situation: “First, we have to protect the embankments. It is just beginning of the floods and our officers are on vigil but no one can say what will happen next.”

The disaster management department is carrying out relief work in the affected areas. “At least 73 relief camps have been set up,” said Vyasji, the principal secretary of disaster management department.