Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 27 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh on Thursday said the state's border districts remained safe after a surge of water from flood-hit Nepal passed through the Narayani river system, with no major impact reported in Uttar Pradesh.
Speaking about the flood situation in Nepal and the subsequent alert in Uttar Pradesh's border areas, Singh said heavy hailstorms and excessive rainfall in Nepal's Rasuwa district led to a glacial lake burst, raising concerns about a large volume of water flowing downstream towards Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
"Rasuwa district, located within Nepal, experienced heavy hailstorms and excessive rainfall, causing a glacial lake to burst. It was anticipated that the resulting surge would flow through the Narayani and Kosi rivers into Uttar Pradesh and Bihar," he said.
The minister said officials and administrative teams remained on alert throughout the night to monitor the situation and assess the movement of water.
According to Singh, the Narayani river, known as the Gandak after entering India, affects areas including Maharajganj and Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh.
He said initial estimates suggested that around 3 lakh cusecs of water could pass through the river system by 10 PM. However, the anticipated volume did not materialise at that time.
"Around midnight, the discharge was 150,000 cusecs rather than 300,000. This volume of water passed through the river safely and has now moved onward through Kushinagar," Singh said.
The minister said the state government's preparedness and continuous monitoring helped ensure the safe passage of the water downstream.
"All our embankments remain secure, and there have been no difficulties... We faced no major challenges this time," he said.
Singh added that officials of the Irrigation Department and district administration remained vigilant in accordance with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's directions.
"Officials and administrative staff remained alert day and night, acting on the Chief Minister's directives. The Irrigation Department and the administration worked diligently, ensuring the water passed safely downstream," he said.
He further said that villages and embankments in Uttar Pradesh remained safe, with no immediate threat reported in the surrounding areas.
Reacting to the devastation in Nepal, Singh described the incident as tragic and acknowledged the scale of the disaster.
"This is a tragic incident, and the scale of the disaster was immense; people were unable to save themselves," he said.
Singh also said the Central Government was extending all possible assistance to Nepal under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, the Central Government is fully committed to the effort, providing disaster relief and all other necessary assistance. The Central Government is fully engaged; it will meet whatever demands arise to help Nepal," he said. (ANI)
Nepal floods: 'UP embankments safe, water passed downstream without major impact', says Minister Swatantra Dev Singh
