Bhagalpur: Sudden erosion along the Ganga swallowed a temple and several houses in Raghopur village in Bihar's Bhagalpur district, beginning around 6 pm on Friday near Mahadevpur Ghat in the Naugachia area, officials said.
According to PTI, around 40 to 50 houses were affected and five were destroyed, while a 50-metre stretch of embankment near an abandoned railway line on the river's left bank was damaged by the current.
Kuchcha homes bore the brunt
Most of the affected houses were kuchcha structures, which collapsed into the river as the bank gave way. Around 10 pucca houses developed cracks, prompting precautionary evacuations of residents from the danger zone, officials said.
Local residents watched as part of a temple near the ghat slid into the swirling river. The erosion has left dozens of families displaced, many of them sheltering with relatives on higher ground.
Water department mobilises 15 teams
The Bihar Water Resources Department has deployed 15 teams of engineers in shifts, along with senior officials, to contain further damage. The department has arranged sand-filled bags, mega geo-bags, ECO bags and nylon crates, and pressed tractors, boats and a steamer into service for protection work, officials told PTI.
The Ganga's water level was below the warning mark and had fallen by about 12 cm in the preceding 12 hours, officials said, but a strong current pressing towards the left bank has kept the erosion risk alive. Authorities said the situation is being monitored around the clock.
Sources:
The Indian Express (PTI) — Ganga erosion in Bihar's Bhagalpur
Dainik Jagran English — India weather update, October 10
According to PTI, around 40 to 50 houses were affected and five were destroyed, while a 50-metre stretch of embankment near an abandoned railway line on the river's left bank was damaged by the current.
Kuchcha homes bore the brunt
Most of the affected houses were kuchcha structures, which collapsed into the river as the bank gave way. Around 10 pucca houses developed cracks, prompting precautionary evacuations of residents from the danger zone, officials said.
Local residents watched as part of a temple near the ghat slid into the swirling river. The erosion has left dozens of families displaced, many of them sheltering with relatives on higher ground.
Water department mobilises 15 teams
The Bihar Water Resources Department has deployed 15 teams of engineers in shifts, along with senior officials, to contain further damage. The department has arranged sand-filled bags, mega geo-bags, ECO bags and nylon crates, and pressed tractors, boats and a steamer into service for protection work, officials told PTI.
The Ganga's water level was below the warning mark and had fallen by about 12 cm in the preceding 12 hours, officials said, but a strong current pressing towards the left bank has kept the erosion risk alive. Authorities said the situation is being monitored around the clock.
Sources:
The Indian Express (PTI) — Ganga erosion in Bihar's Bhagalpur
Dainik Jagran English — India weather update, October 10
