Around 5.5 million people have been affected due to floods in 20 districts of Bihar, with the death toll going up to 160, official figures showed.
With the flood situation remaining critical, thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes and struggle for survival under the open skies with inadequate relief at hand, officials said.
"After heavy rains lashed several part of the state Monday, the flood situation worsened and more areas have been inundated," said an official of the state disaster management department.
With all major rivers, including the Ganga, Kosi, Gandak, Budhi Gandak, Sone and Bagmati, flowing above the danger mark, there is a threat of more villages being inundated.
State Water Resources Development Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, however, said all river embankments were safe and there was no need to panic.
Vipin Kumar Rai, officer on special duty at the disaster management department, said the authorities have set up relief camps for flood-affected people in most areas.
Till date, 2.9 lakh quintals of foodgrain have been distributed among the flood victims. Besides, 50,550 polythene sheets have been distributed and 2,799 boats pressed into service for ferrying the affected people from one place to another, he said.
Floodwaters have already entered hundreds of villages and people forced to flee their homes, reviving fears of a repetition of the 2008 devastation.
In 2008, over three million people were rendered homeless in the state when the Kosi river breached its bank upstream in Nepal and changed course. It was said to be the worst floods in the state in the last 50 years.
The rising Ganga recently broke a decades-old record as it wreaked havoc in nearly a dozen districts, including Patna, Saran, Bhojpur, Bhagalpur, Buxar, Katihar, Vaishali and Begusarai.
"Water entered these villages after the levels rose in all the major rivers. Most of the flood victims have taken shelter on high roads, embankments, schools and government buildings and in makeshift tents," said another official of the department.
Officials said standing crops, including bananas, worth crores of rupees have been destroyed and road communication at several places has snapped.
"Rising rivers have badly hit paddy cultivation and destroyed standing banana and maize crops in Vaishali, Khagaria, Bhagalpur and other districts," he said.
–Indo-Asian News Service
Related Post
India Will Have its Own Space Station by 2035
New Delhi: India will have its own space station by 2035, known as “Bharatiya Antriksh Station”, Union Minister of State…
After Coldplay, Diljeet Concert Fans Cry Foul, Ed Raids in 5 Cities Against Ticket Black Marketers
New Delhi: The outcry of British rock band Coldplay and actor-singer Diljeet Dosanjh fans over alleged blackmarketing and counterfeiting of…
Scientists Link Specific Gene in Ulcerative Colitis to Colon Cancer Risk
New Delhi: A team of researchers has linked a specific gene in the ulcerative colitis (UC) disease to an increased…
Bomb Hoax Calls to Airlines: IT Ministry Advisory to Social Media Platforms, Others to Remove Such Fake Information Immediately
New Delhi: Amid the unabated hoax bomb threats to airlines via global Internet platforms, the Centre on Saturday directed social…
India-New Zealand 2nd Test: Really special feeling, proud to be in this position, says First Time Captain Tom Latham
Pune: Six days after New Zealand gave immense joy to a country of over five million residents by winning the…
Special News
Salman Khan, Salim Khan Effigies Burnt By Bishnoi Community
October 25, 2024Mithaiwala From Bhagalpur Creates ‘Modi Laddu’ Before Diwali
October 25, 2024Digital Arrest: How Fraudsters Commit Cybercrime
October 24, 2024Biggest Ever Crowd at Priyanka Gandhi’s Roadshow in Wayanad
October 23, 2024
Top News
Breast Cancer in Men: Stigma Delays Diagnosis and Treatment
October 23, 2024211 Ft Tall Ravana Prepared in Delhi’s Dwarka
October 6, 2024
India Will Have its Own Space Station by 2035
October 26, 2024