No adverse impact of Nepal floods in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh so far, says NDRF

The devastating flash floods in Nepal have not had any adverse impact on the border areas of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh so far, the National Disaster Response Force said on Thursday.

NDRF inspector general Narendra Singh Bundela said the situation was being continuously monitored in coordination with both state governments and other agencies.

Twenty NDRF teams have been positioned across the two states to undertake evacuation, rescue and relief operations if flooding or waterlogging occurs. Nine teams are deployed in Bihar and 11 in Uttar Pradesh, including one in Kushinagar district near Gorakhpur.

The Central Water Commission is also closely tracking water levels and providing regular updates, Bundela said.

Authorities are monitoring the Gandak River at Valmikinagar in Bihar’s West Champaran district, where the first barrage on the Indian side of the Nepal border is located. No impact from the Nepal floods has been observed there so far, according to the NDRF official.

The death toll from the flash floods in Nepal has risen to 165. Several people, including more than 300 Indian tourists, remain missing following the disaster, which struck three districts on Wednesday.

Bundela said India had sent two aircraft carrying Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief supplies, including medicines, to Nepal on Wednesday and Thursday.

Four additional NDRF teams are on standby in Ghaziabad for possible deployment in the neighbouring country. They will be airlifted from the Indian Air Force’s Hindon station if Nepal submits a request to the Indian government for rescue assistance.

With IANS inputs