2 states, Assam & Bihar swept away with ruinous flood, death toll reached 78

Patna, July 19: The flood situation in Assam and Bihar is ruinous. Lakhs of people are displaced and many have lost their lives. The deaths due to devastating floods in Bihar has risen to 78 on Thursday even as the authorities claimed that the situation was improving slowly.

According to reports, at least 78 people have lost their lives in floods and rain-related incidents across the ten districts of the Bihar. The flood has been caused in parts because of additional water discharge from Nepal, the report added.

The recent floods have adversely affected the normal life in as many as 12 districts of Bihar with Sitamarhi being the most hit by the incessant rains.

Reports claimed that the flood waters have inundated more areas as water from the rivers flowing from Nepal breached embankments and submerged roads at several places in Darbhanga, Sitamarhi and Madhubani districts.

At least 26 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) along with other state government agencies are currently engaged in the relief and rescue operations in the flood-hit parts of Bihar.

Roads have been washed away at places and bridges being damaged. Bihar have faced with a severe flood in 2017 as well, during which over 400 people had died.

A total of 796 people and 125 motorboats have been involved in the relief and rescue operations being carried out in Bihar. The state government has set up at least 130 relief camps to help those affected by the floods and displaced from their homes. The state government has also set up 1119 community kitchen to help the flood-hit people here.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recently conducted an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas of the state and reviewed the relief and rescue work with state government officials. CM has also directed officials to provide speedy relief to all the affected people.

The annual recurrence of a severe flood in Assam is no different this year. Fifty-seven lakh people in the state have been affected due to the flood, with several rivers flowing above the danger level.

As for the Kaziranga National Park, state legislator Mrinal Saikia told that the animals are having a "tough time" as a "large number" of rhinos, deer and elephants are "trapped". The Kaziranga National Park is spread across the floodplains of the Brahmaputra river. The world's largest population of Indian one-horned rhinoceroses are found in the sanctuary.