A line drawn on a map. A barricade parked on a road. Barbed wire. And an iron gate. All of this can divide nations, and draw boundaries, but not nature. Nature does not recognise fences. It moves freely across human-made political lines. Nature knows no borders. So, when a massive flash flood triggered by a glacier collapse hit the neighbouring Nepal, it triggered alerts in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Why? It is the Gandak River that transcends all borders and flows between the two nations.
Warnings have also been issued to all districts in the Gandak river basin. In Kushinagar, the district administration has ordered evacuations from Marchahwa, Shivpur and other villages, and announcements are being made urging residents to move to safer locations. All 36 gates of the Gandak Barrage at Valmikinagar have been opened, and a technical team led by a Superintending Engineer has been deployed at the barrage.
“From Valmikinagar, Gandak winds its way through the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar before merging into the Ganga at Hajipur and Sonepur,” according to the Living Waters Museum report . A glacial lake outburst led to an avalanche, which triggered massive flash floods in the country, according to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA). Follow LIVE Updates Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, who also holds the Water Resources Department (WRD) portfolio, said, “The department has taken immediate precautionary measures. “In view of the rising water levels in the Gandak and Narayani rivers and the possibility of flooding in Uttar Pradesh’s Maharajganj and Kushinagar districts due to its impact, instructions have been issued to the local administration to remain fully vigilant and ensure necessary preparations,” Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath posted on X.
