Bettiah: The Champaran embankment near Khairtwa village under Chakhni Rajwatiya panchayat in West Champaran district was breached on Monday evening following intense pressure from the Gandak river, triggering panic among residents as floodwater began entering nearby areas.Soon after the breach, a team of engineers reached the spot to assess the situation. A large number of localss also gathered at the site as water started flowing rapidly towards residential areas.Local resident Lalbabu Singh said, “After the embankment breached, water started flowing at a very high speed towards residential areas. There is a possibility that the water may cross NH-727 and flow towards dozens of villages. Chakhni Rajwatiya village has been submerged due to the flooding of the Gandak river since Sunday. Meanwhile, this embankment connecting Bagaha with Ratwal has also breached. This has triggered panic among local residents. Around two years ago, a nearly 30-metre stretch of the embankment had also breached at a short distance from here. It was subsequently repaired. Now that the embankment has breached again, there is an atmosphere of panic in the area.”The breach came hours after the Gandak barrage at Valmikinagar recorded a discharge of a record 5.43 lakh cusecs of water on Monday morning, increasing pressure on the embankment and worsening the flood situation in the area.Executive engineer Nemi Sharan confirmed the breach and said a team of engineers had reached the spot to assess the situation.“A team of engineers has reached the spot and is assessing the situation. Effective measures will soon be taken to stop the flow of water towards residential areas,” he said.Residents fear that if the flow is not controlled, floodwater could cross NH-727 and spread towards several villages in the area. Authorities are monitoring the situation and assessing measures to prevent further flooding of residential settlements.
