GORAKHPUR, Aug. 27 -- A massive flash flood in Nepal's Rasuwa district on Wednesday triggered heightened vigilance across eastern Uttar Pradesh, particularly in Kushinagar, Maharajganj and Siddharth Nagar districts, amid concerns over a possible rise in downstream river levels. Authorities have placed villages along the Narayani-Gandak river system in Kushinagar and those situated along the Rapti and Rohini rivers in Maharajganj and Siddharth Nagar under close watch. Officials are monitoring river gauges and vulnerable areas, while relief and rescue teams have been kept ready to respond to any sudden rise in water levels. Chief engineer, irrigation department, Vikas Singh said the developments in Nepal had heightened concerns in eastern Uttar Pradesh, as water flowing downstream from Nepal could quickly affect the Gandak basin, particularly Kushinagar and Maharajganj, both of which share a border with Nepal. He said the impact was expected to be felt across a nearly 40-km stretch of the region after 10 pm. Singh said special generators had been deployed along the Gandak river embankments to ensure uninterrupted monitoring and emergency operations. The immediate priority, he said, was to track the movement of floodwaters towards UP and ensure that rescue and relief teams could respond promptly if water entered residential areas. --Abdur Rahman...