Title - Erosion threat to Mansi rail track persists

PATNA: The threat to railway track on Mansi-Saharsa section near Mansi in Khagaria district persists even as anti-erosion work at the site has been going on a war footing to control the situation and prevent the snapping of communication from Saharsa and Madhepura.Water resources department (WRD) sources said the intensity of erosion threat on the railway track near Mansi, as it was two days ago, had subsided since the department's engineers managed to control the erosion threat by pitching boulders along the bank of the river in the vulnerable section of the track.The flow of water into the river through Birpur barrage had been increased due to heavy rain in the river's catchment areas lying in Nepal. On Saturday morning around 11 am, the flow of water through the river had come down to 1.23 lakh cusecs, but increased again to 1.69 lakh cusecs due to heavy rain recorded on the day.This, in turn, had increased the pressure of water on the bank of the river Kosi near Mansi and other vulnerable points. "The engineers camping at the site are alert and also engaged in mitigating the threat of erosion. The situation is in control," WRD source said.Similarly, the flow of water in the river Gandak had also increased, from 1.47 lakh cusec in the morning to 1.52 lakh in the evening. However, all the rivers, except Bhutahi Balan that flows through Madhubani district, are flowing below the danger mark. "Bhutahi Balan is unpredictable, as its menace is regulated by the increase in rainwater, if and when it happens, but it is flowing very slightly above the danger mark," the source said.

Meanwhile, WRD principal secretary Afzal Amanullah, who inspected the safety and status of embankments in six districts of Samastipur, Bhagalpur, Saharsa, Supaul, Madhubani and Darbhanga, and also at Birpur barrage across the river Kosi in Nepal, has asked the WRD engineers to keep a vigil and also remain alert.

He assessed the condition of embankments built for protection to farmers from the floods caused by such rivers as Kosi, Kamla, Adhwara, Kareh and Khiroi. "All the embankments are safe. WRD principal secretary has asked the engineers to ensure that round the clock patrolling has been done to make timely detection of any breach in the embankment for quick response and plugging of the breach," WRD source said.

WRD minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, who reviewed the safety of embankments and also took stock of the flow of water through the western Kosi canal system (WKCS), ordered that the release of water through WKCS be increased to 2,500 cusec for irrigation purposes down to its last end. Earlier, only 1,850 cusec of water was flowing through the WKCS network.