Uttar Pradesh flood situation grave, toll mounts to 89

Lucknow, August 21: Uttar Pradesh floods death toll climbed to 89 on Thursday, with reports of seven more deaths.

The worst affected areas in flood-hit eastern Uttar Pradesh are Lakhimpur Kheri, Bahraich, Barabanki, Ballia, Balrampur, Shravasti, Sitapur, Gonda, Faizabad, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Azamgarh, Muzaffarnagar and Siddharth Nagar.

Six persons were killed in flood affected areas in Balrampur district, while a 26-year-old youth drowned in Gonda district in the past 24 hours, official sources said.

According to report from Balrampur several mud houses collapsed in Jonaar, Mirzapur, Nandnagar, Hridaynagar, Bhatehia and Belha village. Around 1.5 lakh people in 150 villages are affected in the district where relief and rescue work is being carried out. While Balrampur-Utraula route remain closed, traffic on Balrampur-Tulsipur route was restored as the water level receded.

A report from Azamgarh said that breaking a 16-year-old record, the Ghaghra was flowing 1.7 metre above the danger mark. The river swelled after water was released from Girja and Sharda barrage in Bahraich district, it said.

Additional District Magistrate (Administration) Ashutosh Trivedi said 335 boats were deployed and directives issued to evacuate people from 100 villages from the catchment area.

According to a report from Barabanki around 89,000 people in 125 villages of Ramnagar, Sirauli Gauspur and Ramsnehighat tehsils were affected. 16 relief centers and eight shelter homes have been set up in the area, the report added.

There is a fear of spread of epidemic as animal carcasses are lying in the flood-affected areas.

At least 1,000 villages are in the grip of floods and rescue operations to save stranded people is going on.

Many villagers have even threatened to boycott the September 13 bypoll in Baldha constituency.

Meanwhile, the state government has set up a 24x7 control room at the office of the relief commissioner.

The Chief Minister's Office started overseeing the operations undertaken by the state officials, police and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, PAC, SSB, police, revenue employees and voluntary organisations.

OneIndia News

(With PTI Inputs)