Bihar flood toll increases to 149

Patna, Aug 26: With 14 more deaths, the toll in the Bihar flood rose to 149 today even as the swollen Ganga river has started receding.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made an aerial survey of several flood affected districts during the day.

A release by the Disaster Management Department said Bhojpur accounted for 13 deaths, the maximum in any Bihar district The flood has been caused by a spate in Ganga, Sone, Punpun, Burhi Gandak, Ghaghra, Kosi and other rivers and has affected 32.51 lakh people in 2,018 villages under 553 panchayats of 74 blocks in the state, it said.

Ganga, though showing a receding trend, is flowing above the danger mark at seven places - Digha Ghat, Gandhi Ghat, Hathidah in Patna, Bhagalpur and Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district, besides in Munger and Buxar districts.

The receding trend has been witnessed at Gandhi Ghat, Digha Ghat and Hathidah in Patna. A total 4.16 lakh people have been evacuated so far from the 12 flood-affected districts of Buxar, Bhojpur, Patna, Vaishali, Saran, Begusarai, Samastipur, Lakhisarai, Khagaria, Munger, Bhagalpur and Katihar, the release said.

The government is plying 2,516 boats for evacuation and national and state disaster response forces have already been deployed in the affected districts. Five hundred and eighteen relief camps are being run in the flood-hit areas and are providing shelter to 2.05 lakh people, who are being provided medical services by 270 teams.

Arrangements have been made for providing food and other items and the government has so far distributed 6,105 quintal of flattened rice, 1,072 quintal jaggery, 111 quintals of sattu, 82,822 matchsticks packets, 48,629 polythene sheets and 2,43,959 dry food packets, the release said.

Besides, 108 camps were being run only for animals, the release said, adding, 108 cattle have been killed in the floods, it added.

PTI