East Central Railway is gearing up its route for the monsoon season and has implemented sensor-equipped alert devices across 57 railway bridges within its jurisdiction to monitor river water levels, announced an official on Tuesday (July 9). The monitoring system, integrated with advanced technology, promptly notifies officials if river water levels exceed safety thresholds.
The development comes amid persistent rainfall in Bihar over the past 24 hours, major rivers such as Kosi, Mahananda, Bagmati, Gandak, Kamla Balan, and Kamla are experiencing rising water levels.
“The mobile phones of concerned railway officials have been linked to the system. The alert signals are sent automatically to the linked mobile phones. This will enable the train services to be regulated promptly to avert any risk and ensure safe railway operation. The ECR zone has installed this system on 57 railway bridges under its jurisdiction”, said Chief Public Relation Officer (CPRO) of East Central Railway, Saraswati Chandra in a statement issued here on Tuesday.
Distribution of water level monitoring system across divisions
The CPRO further detailed the distribution of the monitoring system across divisions: 34 bridges in Samastipur, nine in Danapur, seven in Dhanbad, five in Sonepur, and two in Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya divisions.
Meanwhile, Bihar’s Water Resources Department reported that several rivers including Kosi, Mahananda, Bagmati, Gandak, Kamla Balan, and Kamla are flowing above danger marks in various regions. The Bagmati river, for instance, recorded 49.40 meters in Sitamarhi, exceeding the danger level by 0.72 meters, and similar situations were noted in other areas like Aurau.
As a precautionary measure, local administrations have relocated residents from low-lying areas to safer locations. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar conducted an aerial survey of East Champaran, Gopalganj, and West Champaran districts to assess the flood situation following heavy rainfall.