As embankments expanded, the scope of flooding in Bihar also increased: if there were fewer embankments, flooding would occur on 2.5 million hectares; now that they are more numerous, it affects 6.88 million hectares.

The length of embankments in the state has been increasing year after year. The increase was because if embankments were built, there would be no floods. However, the opposite happened. Ironically, as the embankments increased, so did the flood-prone area. In 1954, Bihar had a 160 km long embankment, which flooded 2.5 million hectares of land. Today, the length of embankments is 3,430 km and the flood-prone area has increased to 6.88 million hectares. This data comes from the Water Resources Department. In the 1950s, the rivers in North Bihar...