Twenty-six of the 55 gates in the Koshi barrage have been opened following the continuous rise in water flow and the siren of danger has been blaring since Sunday.[break]
"The barrage can withstand pressure of 950,000 cusec but considering the wear and tear in all these years the siren is set off once the level reaches 150,000 cusec," Engineer at the Department of Water Induced Disaster Prevention Office, Biratnagar, Mohan Bhattarai said.
Human settlements in Prakashpur and west of Mahendranagar in Sunsari, and Sri Lanka island on the east of Rampur, Thoksila of Udayapur have come under threat due to the rising water level. The island is now just around 500 meters away from the eastern end of the river. The water flow had reached 313,000 cusec last year.
Dozens of other villages in Udayapur have also come under threat due to various rivers. Three houses of Bhalmanti in Tapeshwari were destroyed after flow of water of Magarni river was blocked by the swollen Koshi river. Likewise, people of dozens of villages in Tapeshwari, Rampur Thoksila, Handiya, Basaha, Beltar and Sundarpur VDCs are also under threat from the river.
Meanwhile 10 dalit families have been displaced due to landslides in Dandagaun-4, Jajarkot, Sunday evening, according to or Rukum correspondent Kamal Thapa. They have taken shelter in neighbors´ homes after fissures appeared in their houses.
The families have been sensitive to the threat as six houses were swept away and 68 families displaced in the neighboring village of Gotamkot by flood in the Thulibheri river a few days ago.
Meanwhile a lake formed after landslide blocked Madi river in Sildajure of Kaski in early August has burst Sunday night, according to our Pokhara correspondent Santosh Pokharel.
A suspension bridge and many bigahas of paddy field in the surrounding have been swept away by the sudden release of the water obstructed for the past three weeks. "The bridge joining Namarjung and Sildjure has been swept away," said VDC Secretary of Sildajure Mukti Nath Bastola. Bastola added that Madi has now retaken its normal course.
Mahakali rage continues
The raging Mahakali river that entered human settlements breaching its embankment continued eroding land for the fourth consecutive day, reports our Mahendranagar correspondent Bikram Giri.
An emergency meeting at the Kanchanpur District Administration Office on Monday decided to contain the flood but the local administration has not done anything apart from mobilizing a few security persons.
The sky relented Monday afternoon following four days of incessant downpour but trucks carrying boulders for constructing temporary barriers have been stucked in the muddy terrain.
Meanwhile, Chief Engineer at the People´s Embankment Program Prem Kumar Srivastav was seen in the settlement with jars of mineral water for the flood affected locals. He claimed that flood wreaked havoc at Bhujela due to the narrowness of the river there but conceded that the damage may also be due to use of inferior materials in construction of embankments.
"We have constructed embankments here like at any other river. But the embankments built to withstand 500,000 cusec has been breached by 150,000 cusec flow," he said. Over 35 million was spent in construction of 700 meters of embankment in the river.
He, however, denied any financial wrongdoing during the construction. "We have not embezzled money. I don´t know if the contractors have done so," he argued and claimed that he was ready to face any investigation. "We have completed proper tender process while awarding the contract," he added.
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