The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is training village youths who could help in flood relief operations in the district.
The disaster management department has declared 215 villages of the district flood-affected and has prepared strategies in view of rise in water level in Bagmati and other rivers to reduce the impact of flood.
District magistrate (DM) Anupam Kumar said: “Two platoons of NDRF are working on a war footing to facilitate community training to village youths for launching relief and rescue operations in case of flood. Apart from swimming, the youths are also being trained in use of ropes, banana trees, car tubes and plastic cots in case of flood. Efforts are underway to get the training and skills necessary for rescuing marooned people.”
“The NDRF boys, accompanied by skilled divers, arrived here to stay for two more months to tackle flood-related crisis effectively,” the DM added.
Moreover, NDRF personnel would help provide relief material during rehabilitation operations. Some NDRF boys would be engaged in running motorboats in Bagmati to rescue marooned people. Displaced families would be shifted to 135 makeshift shelters as part of rehabilitation measures. School and panchayat buildings apart from tall buildings in the affected villages have been identified for providing shelter to the flood-hit. Heavy rainfall in catchment areas of Nepal has triggered the threat of flood in the districts of north Bihar, particularly in Muzaffarpur.
According to the Central Water Commission, Bagmati is constantly rising over the past 24 hours. Other rivers, including Lakhandai, Gandak and Budhi Gandak, are gradually rising. Bagmati has almost touched the danger mark in Banibad, Kataunjha and other places.
“Rain in Nepal has compounded the flood fury in Muzaffarpur,” said Ram Lakhan Rai, who along with other villagers of Mohanpur, shifted to the embankment on Bagmati in Katra block.
“Sensing the gravity of the situation, villagers in a great number moved to the top of embankments as the water in Bagmati rose menacingly,” said Lallan Sahni of Benipur.
Hundreds of villagers belonging to Lohar Tola, Bharthuva, Jivajor and Tarbanna villages of Aurai rushed to nearby embankments and started setting makeshift huts of plastic sheets as temporary shelters during flood. The disaster management department has issued registration of 265 boats for ferrying flood-hit people free of cost. Nearly 245 homeguards have been deputed along the embankment site to patrol the vulnerable points round-the-clock.
