No danger of Kosi flooding, 70,000 people still evacuated for safety

New Delhi: Government today said so far there is no rise in the water level of river Kosi and there is no imminent danger but all precautionary measures are in place to deal with any eventuality. More than 70,000 people, who may be affected in case of floods in Kosi, have been evacuated to safety camps. [caption id=“attachment_1649151” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Reuters[/caption] The National Crisis Management Committee, headed by Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth, met this afternoon to review thesituation of the impending rise in water level in Kosi due to a landslide and blockade upstream in Nepal. A video conference was held with the Chief Secretary of Bihar and other state government officials. “There appears to be no imminent danger at present as the flow of the river Kosi is steady and there is no rise in the water level. However, a close vigil is being kept on the situation by the Central Water Commission and other agencies,” a Home Ministry spokesperson said. The Centre is providing all possible help to the state government. 19 teams of National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force have been deployed for rescue and relief operation. In addition to the preparedness for the movement of armed forces and composite teams including standby helicopters and cargo planes at Purnea Base, 15 diving teams of the Indian Navy are in readiness at Vishakhapattanam. The Central Water Commission is in touch with the Nepalese authorities to get updates on the situation regarding the blockade and release of water from Nepal to India. PTI