Flowing above the danger mark, a swollen river Ganga has swallowed up at least 10 houses in Bihar’s Mamlakha district. Videos shot by residents of the area show three of the structures, including a two-storey one, sliding into the river and disintegrating before disappearing in a matter of seconds.
One of the videos shows the two-storey house, almost half of which has water lapping at it, slowly beginning to slide forward, almost like a boat leaving harbour, and then beginning to submerge. The front of the house disappears first and the rear follows with a loud sound and a violent shooting of spray. A boat can be seen in the background as this happens. The video is just about 30 seconds long, indicating the speed with which the structure vanished beneath the water.
In the other two videos, a portion of one of the smaller houses suffers the same fate, with the back remaining intact; while another breaks off in parts and slides in, with a dog sniffing around before it happens to figure out what the commotion is about.
According to the Bihar District Management Department, approximately 12 districts along the Ganga are experiencing flood-like conditions, affecting over 13.5 lakh people in low-lying areas. As many as 376 village panchayats have been impacted, with many residents evacuated to camps, news agency PTI reported.
The 12 affected districts are Patna, Bhagalpur, Buxar, Bhojpur, Saran, Vaishali, Samastipur, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Katihar, Khagaria, and munger.
On Monday, Bihar Additional Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit held a review meeting with officials from 12 districts to assess the situation and ensure they are prepared to deal with the situation if the water rises further.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has also conducted an aerial survey of the affected areas.
