There is more bad news for Bihar, which is grappling with floods triggered by heavy rainfall. The Patna Meteorological Centre has warned of more rain till August 1, especially in northern parts of the state which are closer to the foothills of Himalayas.
Flood waters have spread to new areas in 11 districts, affecting one million more population, the state disaster management department said. The department in its bulletin said that a total of 2.4 million people have been hit by flood across 11 of 38 districts in Bihar, with Darbhanga being the worst-affected.
“The whole area over here is submerged and the flow of the water is so fast that the speed is constantly increasing,” a Darbhanga resident told news agency ANI.
The flood affected districts are: Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Supaul, Kishanganj, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, West Champaran, East Champaran, Khagaria and Saran.
In fact, the situation is expected to further deteriorate in the entire northern belt – from Gopalganj to Katihar.
Seven rivers (small and tributaries) are already flowing above the danger mark at 24 spots in 15 districts of the state. The embankments are under pressure in these areas.
Chief minister Nitish Kumar said that embankments should be subjected to round-the-clock monitoring to keep the flood situation in check. He has asked the engineers of Water Resources Department to be alert.
Seventeen teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and eight of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are involved in the rescue operations across the state.
The air-dropping operation of food packets by Indian Air Force helicopters has been stopped in Gopalganj, Darbhanga and East Champaran districts due to worsening of situation and weather.
The operation had started in these places on July 25.
A senior officer of the disaster management department said the relief distribution through boats and other means would continue in these places as also in other marooned districts.
The overflowing rivers of Bihar and the districts impacted:
Gandak: East and West Champaran, Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali
Budhi Gandak: East and West Champaran, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur and Khagaria
Baghmati and Adhwara: Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga
Kamala: Madhubani
Kosi: Supaul, Khagaria, Katihar
Mahananda: Purnea, Katihar
