Gandak barrage gears up ahead of monsoon, deploys staff

Bettiah: The Gandak barrage administration at Valmikinagar in West Champaran has completed extensive pre-flood arrangements and deployed personnel for round-the-clock monitoring of river water levels and operations ahead of the monsoon season.

As per an official order issued by the works division, Valmikinagar, engineers and support staff have been deputed in multiple shifts to ensure uninterrupted surveillance and communication at the barrage control room. The system is designed to maintain continuous monitoring of water discharge and facilitate timely operational decisions.

In the first shift, junior engineers Jawahar Lal Prasad and Hiralal Prasad will be assisted by attendants Brijesh Kumar Singh and Deepak Singh Chhetri. The second shift will include junior engineers Nesar Ali and Saurabh Kumar, supported by clerks Pramod Ram and Sunil Thakur. The third shift will be handled by junior engineers Pramod Kumar Singh and Anurag Giri, along with attendants Dukhi Majhi and Umesh Sharma.

An additional reserve team comprising junior engineers Abhishek Kumar Choudhary, Kumar Shantanu Singh, Ramesh Chandra Paswan and Pradeep Kumar has been kept on standby for emergency requirements. The roster will be rotated every Monday, with shifts running from 6am to 2pm, 2pm to 10pm, and 10pm to 6am.

The arrangement will remain effective from June 1 to Oct 31, 2026. Sub-divisional officer Ranjan Kumar will supervise operations, while engineer Sujit Kumar and the divisional officer will oversee overall functioning.

Executive engineer Mohammad Iqbal Anwar said a dedicated control room has been set up to monitor discharge in the Gandak river and manage barrage gate operations and communication systems. He added that all repair and maintenance work has been completed ahead of the flood season.