Flood situation deteriorates, lakhs affected

Patna, July 23 (UNI) More than a lakh people were rendered homeless and property and standing crops damaged as flood situation worsened in North Bihar following incessant rains and subsequent overflow of major rivers.

Official reports reaching here today from affected districts of Darbhanga, Supoul, Madhubani, Bhagalpur, Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur among others said as a result of incessent rains for about a week now, all the major rivers including the Punpun, Kosi, Kamalabalan, Gandak and the Bagmati were now flowing much above the danger level leading to breach of embankments and causing flash floods at several places.

So far only one death of a person in Bhagalpur district was reported in the fury of floods, though standing crops worth several hundred crores of rupees had been lost and many houses damaged.

As Punpun was flowing at least 220 mm above the red mark at several places, at least 12 villages along the river banks had been vastly inundated rendering more than 25,000 people homeless.

Moreover, following the breach of a number of emabankments along the Kosi, Gandak and the Bagmati in Darbhanga, Supoul and Madhubani districts large chunks of low lying areas had been flooded rendering more than 75,000 people homeless affecting 44 villages. They were shifted to safer places by the local administration through emergency measures.

The rain-fed water of the Bangmati had also washed away one of the main connecting bridges in Bhagalpur district thereby snapping the surface communication between the district headquarters and South Bihar. The NH 31 A had also gone under waist deep water in several places to cut off the road communication among several North Bihar districts, the reports added.

The situation in Patna was also no better. Following more than 500 mm of rainfall during the past four days, several low-lying areas had been inundated bringing immensse misery to the city dwellers.

While Kankarbagh, Rajendranagar, Srikrishna Nagar, Patliputra and many places in the old Patna city were worst affected with knee-deep water still remaininig even after four days, filthy drain water had entered into the ground floor of most of the buildings in these areas. The supplyline of drinking water in most of these places had been inundated. Several newspaper and News Agency offices, including that of UNI, are also surrounded by knee to waist deep water because of the chocked sewerage system.

Meanwhile, the local Met office had predicted more rain during the next 48-hours in both South and North Bihar districts which was likely to cause further damage to the present situation both in terms of loss of property and misery to the general public.

UNI