With a scorching sun and little rain in last few days, water level receding in rivers
LUCKNOW: The flood situation in Uttar Pradesh improved on Saturday with no rain in the catchment areas of the State’s eastern region even as the season’s toll so far due to flood and rain-related incidents has gone up to 178 with two more death.
The situation in over 2,300 villages, which were either partially or fully affected by the flood fury mainly in the eastern region, has started improving with the water level receding in major rivers, official sources here said.
About five lakh hectares of land in 22 districts had been inundated by flood waters, they said.
The Army has been assisting the civil authorities in the flood affected Gorakhpur and Barabanki districts while personnel of the Provincial Armed Constabulary have been pressed into service in Shravasti, Gonda, Siddharth Nagar, Maharajganj and Baharaich districts.
The water level in the Ghagra river has started receding at Elgin Bridge in Barabanki, the Rapti’s level is decreasing in Balrampur and Basti.
According to reports reaching here on Saturday, 113 people have died in flood-related incidents so far while 65 have died in rain-related mishaps, two of them on Friday night.
The Government has announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 1.5 lakh each for those killed in flood-related incidents.
Directives have been issued to the district authorities to maintain a high alert and keep a strict vigil near the embankments and bundhs, sources said.
Death toll crosses 200
Patna: With a scorching sun beating down and little rain over the past few days, the flood situation in Bihar further improved on Saturday, but nearly 15 million people still continue to reel under the impact of the deluge in the state where the death toll has crossed the 200 mark.
Four IAF choppers and nine army motorboats are assisting the State administration, which has engaged over 5000 boats in relief and rescue operations that are continuing on war-footing, state disaster management department sources said.
Nearly 15 million people in 7,255 villages in 185 blocks of Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Saharsa, east Champaran, Darbhanga, Patna, Supaul, Bhagalpur, west Champaran, Katihar, Madhubani, Samastipur, Sheohar, Nalanda, Khagaria, Gopalganj, Madhepura, Araria and Begusarai are hit by the floods.
Standing crops in over 11 lakh hectares area worth Rs 263 crore have already been lost and damage to private property so far is estimated at around Rs 100 crore. Public property valued at over Rs 44 crore has been destroyed, sources said.
Altogether 202 human lives have been lost so far with Samastipur accounting for the largest number of 43 deaths followed by Darbhanga (36), east Champaran (35), Muzaffarpur (24), Sitamarhi (15), Bhagalpur (9), Saharsa (8), Madhubani and Begusarai (7 each), Katihar (5), Khagaria, West Champaran and Madhepura (4 each) and Nalanda (1).
People evacuated
Over one lakh marooned people have been evacuated to safe places in the flood-hit districts where over 1000 relief camps, 248 cattle camps and more than 400 medical teams are functioning, the sources said, adding a cash dole of Rs. five crore had already been distributed in the affected areas. -- PTI