Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress leaders chastised Bhagalpur’s flood control and disaster management personnel for taking little action to address the situation in the district.

Over 39,000 people are allegedly affected by the full submersion of 13 Gram Panchayats by floods, according to Ali Ashraf Siddiqui, the RJD MLA for the Nathnagar seat. He voiced his worries about the district’s extreme soil erosion, especially in his area.

“Cement bags loaded with clay, which are inefficient in preventing erosion, are being used by local flood control and disaster management officials,” Siddiqui said.

Siddiqui emphasized the need for Geo bags, which are sand-filled bags designed to stabilize riverbanks and prevent soil erosion.

He said that the district does not have access to sand, which is necessary for using Geo bags correctly. This calls into question any official assertions that sand is being utilized in erosion control initiatives.

Similar opinions were expressed by Ajit Sharma, a Congress MLA from Bhagalpur, on the district’s attempts to reduce flooding and handle disasters. He said that efforts to avoid floods were insufficient, especially when it came to tackling soil erosion.

How authorities say they are using sand-filled bags to stop soil erosion in the event that sand isn’t available in the district. Instead, Sharma added, the authorities are using clay-filled bags, which have little impact on erosion prevention.

In addition, he denounced the district government and the flood control department for their inaction in the face of Bhagalpur’s ongoing flooding problem.

Specifically, he brought out the lack of an anti-siltation campaign, which is necessary to keep the river clean.

“Floodwaters could have flowed more smoothly if silt had been removed beforehand, preventing the widespread damage currently affecting the district.” Rather, Bhagalpur has seen extreme destruction as a result of the floods spreading due to the neglect of removing silt, according to Sharma.

The functioning of community meals established to assist communities impacted by flooding was also criticized by the Congress MLA. He called attention to food delivery delays, saying that lunch was given as late as 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

Sharma expressed similar worries to RJD MLA Ali Ashraf Siddiqui, pointing out that the floods had a significant effect on around 45 panchayats in the Bhagalpur area.

Anwar Jamil, Bhagalpur’s chief engineer for flood management, and Sanjeev Sailesh, the executive engineer, refused to comment despite the mounting worries.

But a Department of Disaster Management official justified their conduct, saying the bags included sand from the Ganga River, which looked like clay.

Although homeowners still suffer from the district’s continuous mishandling of flood response and erosion control, this explanation hasn’t done much to allay worries.