Bihar flood: Punpun breaches embankment, Nitish conducts aerial survey

Patna, Sep 14: The swollen Punpun river caused a breach in the ring embankment near Shahbajpur in the district and flood waters entered adjoining two-three villages, prompting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to conduct an aerial survey of the area.

Kumar, accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Prasad Yadav and water resources minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, conducted the aerial survey of Dhanarua, Mokama, Sarmera and Taal areas in Patna district, an official release said.

After conducting the survey, the Chief Minister held a high-level meeting to review the flood and drought situation in the state and gave necessary directions to the officials.

Kumar directed Patna Divisional Commissioner Anand Kishore and Patna District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Agarwal to expedite relief work among the flood-affected people of the catchment areas of Punpun river and make necessary arrangements, the release said.

"Water level of river Punpun has been rising for the past two days in some of areas (of Punpun block). Today it breached a ring embankment which may be about ten feet in length near Shahbajpur, affecting its adjoining two-three villages.

Our engineers are working on war footing to plug the breach," the Patna DM told PTI. Relief camps have been opened for those displaced by the flood waters, the DM said.

National and State Disaster Response Force teams and medical teams have been deployed to rescue people, Agarwal said. The CM also reviewed the situation in the areas that received comparatively less rainfall and directed officials to ensure distribution of diesel subsidy and uninterrupted power supply to protect the crops in those areas.

Kumar said arrangements should be made to irrigate farm lands through canals. The high level meeting was attended by Tejaswi Prasad Yadav, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh and other senior officials.

PTI