Flood threat looms over Gorakhpur

Lucknow, Aug 12 (UNI) Even as the flood situation improved in several districts of Uttar Pradesh, rivers in Gorakhpur division were flowing near the danger mark due to incessant rainfall in Nepal.

In Basti division, two persons, including a woman, died in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 185.

A women, Saraswati Devi, died after a 'kuchcha' house collapsed at Harayiya tehsil and a 'kanwariya' drowned in river Kunao.

In Gorakhpur, rivers were swollen following rains in Nepal.

Rivers at Kushinagar, Deoria and Maharajganj districts of the division had shown a considerable increase in water levels.

Around four lakh hectares of land had been affected due to the flood.

At least 17 lakh people were hit due to the flood and incessant rainfall out of which 1.2 lakh people had been displaced.

Rescue and relief work was on at the affected districts and the state government had set up 233 relief camps.

According to District Magistrate (Basti) Saurabh Babu, though rivers Ghaghra , Kuano and Manwar had receded, about 182 villages were still inundated.

Though the flood situation had improved in most of the affected districts, water-borne diseases had broken out.

The administration had ordered the health department to disinfect the region through medicines.

In the last 24 hours, the Met department has recorded 9 cms of rainfall in Moradabad and 2 cms each in Shardanagar, Lucknow and Paliyakala.

The weather department has forecast rains at isolated palces of the state.

UNI