Bihar

• 08 Jul 2024

Workers Trapped in Floodwaters in Bihar

Why in News?

According to the sources, around 150 workers are trapped in floodwaters in Bagaha, Bihar due to heavy rainfall.

Key Points

• The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has rescued about 40 of the 150 stranded workers, including elderly, women, and children.
• According to the Water Resources Department, major rivers, including Kosi, Mahananda, Bagmati, Gandak, Kamla Balan, and Kamla, are above the danger mark.

Kosi River 

• The Kosi is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, Nepal and India.
• It has its source in Tibet that includes the world's highest upland, it then drains a large part of Nepal before emerging onto the Gangetic plains.
• Its three major tributaries, the Sun Kosi, Arun and Tamur meet at one point just upstream of a 10 km gorge cut through the Himalayan foothills.
• The river crosses into northern Bihar, where it branches into distributaries before joining the Ganges near Kursela in Katihar district.
• The Kosi carries the maximum amount of silt and sand after the Brahmaputra in India.
• It is also known as the “Sorrow of Bihar” as the annual floods affect about 21,000 sq. km. of fertile agricultural lands thereby disturbing the rural economy.

Mahananda River

• Mahananda river is a tributary of the Ganga.
• It originates from the Himalayas in Darjeeling, West Bengal.
• The river flows through Bihar, West Bengal, and then continues southeastward to join the Ganga at Godagari in Bangladesh.