Saptari: 500 houses flooded, Sapta Koshi risk persists

Floods in the Sapta Koshi river have inundated 500 houses in Saptari.

Water entered settlements in Hanumannagar Kankalini Municipality and Tilathi Koiladi Rural Municipality after the river's water level rose on Friday night. A total of 483 houses in wards 5, 7, 12 and 13 of the municipality and 17 houses in wards 4 and 5 of the rural municipality have been flooded, affecting more than 2,000 families.

Mayor Birendra Majhi said the affected people have been provided two meals a day, morning and evening. He said further relief would be provided after identifying victims once the water recedes.

According to the Koshi Barrage administration, about 287,000 cusecs of water was flowing from the barrage at 7:15 pm on Saturday evening, down from a peak of around 316,000 cusecs earlier. Although the flow has been gradually decreasing, 37 of the barrage's gates remain open because the water level is still above the danger mark; 43 gates had been opened when the flow was at its highest.

Saptari's Chief District Officer, Shyam Krishna Thapa, said the river's water level and flow are being continuously monitored, and the administration has urged people living in the lower riparian areas of the Koshi to exercise special caution.

According to the Flood Forecasting Division, water levels in Koshi's tributaries have also risen above the alert level.