As a glacial lake outburst triggers flood warnings, Bihar is gearing up for potential floods by releasing floodgates and keeping its disaster response force on standby.

As a flash flood gushed down the Bhotekoshi River and water levels rose in the Trishuli river basin, which feeds directly into the Gandak River system, Bihar government officials said all 36 gates were opened at Valmikinagar “as a precaution”.

“A technical team led by a superintending engineer has also been sent to the barrage from the department headquarters to monitor the situation,” the official said.

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The outburst reportedly occurred around 9 am in Tibet, causing an approximately three-metre surge in the Bhote-Koshi. The increased flow is expected to cause an “unexpected increase” in the discharge and water level of the Gandak further downstream.

At 12 noon, the discharge at the Gandak Barrage in Valmikinagar was 86,000 cusecs and was showing a rising trend, officials said. The river in Nepal was at 4.77 metres at the Devghat gauge. The danger level at the site is 9 metres, while the warning level is 7.30 metres.

Officials said that once the water level rises at Devghat, it could take about 3.5 hours for the increased flow to reach the Gandak Barrage.

The state administration has also begun preparations for possible evacuation. The chief secretary convened an emergency meeting with the district magistrates concerned and directed officials to use public-address systems to alert residents living inside embankments and ensure arrangements are in place to move them to safer locations in time, another official said.

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“Teams of the National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force are being deployed in potentially affected areas,” the official said.

Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary also held a separate meeting to review the situation with the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary of the Disaster Management Department and Secretary of the Water Resources Department. He directed officials to remain in “high alert” mode, ensure all necessary action in time and maintain continuous watch over the situation.

Meanwhile, the Central Flood Control Cell at Sinchai Bhawan in Patna said it has been activated round the clock. “People can report any flood-related emergency, including embankment seepage, piping, erosion, damage or deliberate damage to embankments on the toll-free number 1800-345-6145,” an official said.

The department has also provided the telephone numbers 0612-2206669 and 0612-2215850, and mobile numbers 7463889706 and 7463889707 for information and complaints.