Flood anxieties have deepened across Sribhumi (Karimganj) district and the larger Barak Valley as the Kushiyara River, a key distributary of the Barak River system, crossed its danger threshold along the Indo-Bangladesh border.
The sustained surge in water levels following heavy upstream runoff in Manipur has raised severe inundation concerns for lower-lying areas in the valley as well as neighboring Bangladesh.
Kushiyara River Flowing 22 cm Above Danger Level In Karimganj
Hydrological data released by the Central Water Commission (CWC) at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, July 22, indicates that the water level of the Kushiyara River at the Karimganj gauge station reached 15.16 meters.
The river touched its Danger Level (DL) of 14.94 meters around midnight on Tuesday and crossed it at 1:00 AM on Wednesday when it recorded 14.96 meters. As of 10:00 AM today, the river is flowing 22 centimeters above its danger mark, maintaining a continuous upward trend over the last 48 hours.
| Hydrological Gauge | Kushiyara River Data (Karimganj Station) |
| Warning Level (WL) | 13.94 meters (Crossed) |
| Danger Level (DL) | 14.94 meters (Crossed at 1:00 AM, July 22) |
| Present Water Level (10:00 AM, July 22) | 15.16 meters (22 cm above DL) |
| CWC Forecast Level (6:00 PM, July 22) | 15.34 meters (Expected +18 cm rise) |
| Recorded Rainfall (8:30 AM, July 22) | 13 mm |
CWC official forecasts indicate that the water level at Karimganj is likely to rise by another 18 centimeters, hitting 15.34 meters by 6:00 PM today.
Upstream Surge: Manipur’s Chotabekra Station Touches 26.74m
The severe rise in the Kushiyara River is directly linked to massive runoff from the upstream catchment areas of the Barak River in Manipur.
At the Chotabekra observation station in Imphal East district, the Barak River crossed its danger mark (26.20 meters) early Tuesday morning at 11:00 AM. By midnight on July 21, the water level at Chotabekra surged to 26.74 meters—flowing a alarming 54 centimeters above the danger line.
Because Chotabekra functions as a primary upstream barometer for the entire river basin, this massive discharge is cascading downstream into both the Barak and Kushiyara systems, escalating flood threats in Sribhumi, Cachar, and low-lying border districts of Bangladesh.
Administration On High Alert
In response to the rising water levels, the Sribhumi District Administration and the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) have placed emergency response teams on high alert. Riverbanks and vulnerable embankments along the border are under continuous surveillance.
Editor’s Note: Northeast Update will continue to provide real-time, verified hydrological updates and official administrative bulletins regarding the flood developments in Sribhumi and the Barak Valley. Fearless. Unbiased. Continuous.
