IAF helicopters start air-dropping of food packets in North Bihar

Patna, Aug 21 (UNI) Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters today started air-dropping of food packets and other relief material as the situation in flood-ravaged eight North Bihar districts deteriorated further, forcing the authorities to take the help of the Army.

Bihar Disaster Management department sources here said the air-dropping of food packets had started this morning in Purnea and Supoul districts where the Army had also been called, following the breach of a number of embankments at different places, rendering lakhs of people homeless.

Two Additional District Magistrates and other senior officers from Supoul have been directed to monitor the relief operations in the flood-affected districts of North Bihar, official sources said.

They said a team of experts and engineers had also been despatched to Supoul district headquarters for maintaining a close round-the-clock vigil and taking suitable measures to prevent breach of embankments anywhere in the district.

Official reports from other districts reported inundation of fresh areas of Purnia, Supoul, Madhepura, West Champaran and Araria as the swollen Gandak, Kosi and the Mahananda maintained their rising trend during the past 24 hours, affecting more than a million people of over 400 villages.

However, steps had been taken to rescue the marooned people to safer areas and supply them with enough food packets and relief material, the sources added.

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