Bihar flood situation worsens, toll rises to 153
PATNA: With four more deaths, the toll in Bihar floods increased to 153, while 12 more panchayat areas were inundated affecting a total population of 3.46 million in twelve districts.
The four fresh deaths were reported from Bhojpur and Begusarai, each district accounted for two, a release by the Disaster Management Department said.
Caused by a spate in Ganga, Sone, Punpun, Burhi Gandak, Ghaghra, Kosi and other rivers, the flood affected 3.46 million people in 2,037 villages under 565 panchayats of 74 blocks in the state, it said. The number of flood-hit people was 3.25 million in 2,018 villages under 553 panchayats of 74 blocks in the state on Saturday.
Ganga, though showing a receding trend, is flowing above the danger mark at seven places — Digha Ghat, Gandhi Ghat,
Hathidah in Patna, Bhagalpur and Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district, besides in Munger and Buxar districts. The receding trend has been witnessed at Gandhi Ghat, Digha Ghat and Hathidah in Patna also. A total 497,000 people have been evacuated so far from the 12 flood-affected districts of Buxar, Bhojpur, Patna, Vaishali, Saran, Begusarai, Samastipur, Lakhisarai, Khagaria, Munger, Bhagalpur and Katihar, the release said.
The government is plying 2,571 boats for evacuation and national and state disaster response forces are deployed.
A total of 544 relief camps are being run in the flood-hit areas in which 266,000 people have taken shelter. They are being provided medical services by 328 teams.
Besides, 151 camps were being run only for animals, the release said. The authorities were making an estimation of the total affected areas due to floods and areas under cultivation. Besides, the assess- ment for crop damage was being made by the authorities, it said.
More than 53,000 people have been rescued by NDRF teams from the flood-ravaged areas in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
The National Disaster Response Force has deployed 75 rescue and relief teams, with about 40 rescuers in each, to help the people hit by heavy rains in these states and has also tasked two Deputy Inspector General-rank officers in Bihar and UP for monitoring the situation round-the-clock.
“So far, NDRF teams have evacuated/rescued more than 53,000 persons and provided medical assistance to 12,200 needy persons in this monsoon season. Operations are still continuing,” the force said.
The National Disaster Response Force teams are deployed in Bihar’s Munger, Samastipur, Begusarai, Fathuha, Patna, Bhagalpur, Didarganj, Danapur, Bakhtiyarpur, Buxar, Vaishali and Chhapra and evacuated over 1,748 marooned people to safer places.
Similarly, it said, in Uttar Pradesh, these teams conducted rescue and relief operations at Allahabad, Banda, Gazipur, Varanasi and Ballia districts and evacuated 2,163 people, who were stranded in low lying areas.
A team has also been positioned at Mangan in North Sikkim and has helped evacuate more than 280 people to safer places, it said.
The forces’ control room at its headquarters here is also monitoring the situation to coordinate with all the stakeholders.
Early this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised total support to these flood-hit states in conduct of rescue and relief operations. He had said Home Minister Rajnath Singh is closely monitoring the situation and has spoken to chief ministers of of these states.