Ara: Bhojpur district magistrate Manesh Kumar Meena on Saturday visited flood-prone areas of Barhara and Shahpur blocks as the Ganga crossed the danger mark of 53.08 metres at Barhara. He asked departments to remain on high alert.Several villages in Barhara, including Neknam Tola, Keshavpur, Sinha, Lauhar Farna, Balua and Bakhorapur, face a flood threat. Shahpur’s Jawaniya, Lachhu Tola and Lalu ka Dera are also vulnerable.Meena told reporters, “The Ganga water has been rising in the flood prone areas of the Bhojpur district for the last three days. In order to take stock of the ground situation and to review the flood preparedness of the concerned departments, today I am visiting various villages of both Barhara and Shahpur blocks. I also held meetings with the Mukhiyas of flood prone Panchayats in order to know the problems being faced by those who are vulnerable to flood. The officials have been directed to be on high alert and quickly respond to any call of help in an emergency situation in the flood prone villages. I also held a comprehensive review meeting today to tackle the imminent flood in an efficient manner and to minimize the hardships of flood victims in the district.”Meena inspected a gap in the embankment at Keshavpur and directed the executive engineer of the flood control department to bridge it and stock sandbags.At Jawaniya, he stopped his cavalcade to hear women whose houses were submerged last year. One woman said, “DM sahib, in the last year’s flood our houses got submerged in the Ganga but we have not got any piece of land or a house yet. We are facing great hardships.”
