Flood situation in Bihar remains grim

Patna, June 18 (UNI) The flood situation in North Bihar continued to be grim for the third day today with the rain fed Bagmati river flowing over the danger mark in several areas of Sitamarhi district, claiming 12 lives and affecting more than 100,000 people so far.

Though state Water Resources Minister Ramashray Prasad Singh claimed that the situation was 'very much under control' and all out efforts were being made to plug the breached embankments at several places, official sources from the district informed that more than 250 villages had already been inundated in the district affecting thousands of people.

As surging waters of the Bagmati flowed much above the danger level in most parts of the district, surface communition in several areas had been snapped besides rendering thousands of people homeless and causing immense misery to them.

Meanwhile, the district authorities had set up a number of relief camps to provide succour to the marooned.

Referring to the steps taken to prevent recurrence of flood in North Bihar every year, the state Relief Commissioneer said Rs 500 crore had been earmarked under the current five year plan for strengthening the embankments in all the flood prone districts of Bihar and other emergency measures.

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