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Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi has blamed neighbour Nepal for the devastating floods in north Bihar, which has affected about 13 million people and claimed over 150 lives in the last fortnight.
She said that Nepal was releasing an increasing amount of water downstream resulting in tremendous pressure on the river embankments in Bihar. The now weakened embankments have been breached at several locations putting people and property at risk, she added.
Torrential rains in Nepal in the third week of July forced Nepal to release a record 597,850 cusecs of water at Valmikinagar (near the Indo-Nepal border), which created havoc in some districts in north Bihar.
This year, the Water Resource Department (WRD) recorded 577,000 cusecs of water flow in the Gandak river as against 542,000 cusecs recorded in 1978, which was the highest till date.
The chief minister and her husband, ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president and Rajya Sabha MP Laloo Prasad Yadav, reviewed the relief and rehabilitation measures in the flood-affected districts of Saharsa, Purnea and Darbhanga.
She hinted at her government's inability to manage such a devastating flood till such time the Centre talked to Nepal about controlling its river waters.
"Unless there is fool-proof management of Nepal's river waters, there will be no solution to floods in north Bihar," she said.
Taking the cue, Oscar Fernandes, national general secretary of the Congress, who happens to be in charge of Bihar, said that the state government would submit a memorandum to the prime minister for a permanent solution to this perennial problem.
He said the Congress was in favour of utilising the excess river waters from Nepal.
The Congress is part of the coalition government in Bihar.
More reports on the floods in Bihar
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