Bihar flood toll rises to 205, Ganga receding

Toll in Bihar floods rose to 205 with a fresh death reported today even as the situation appeared to be easing with the water level of swollen Ganga flowing below the danger mark.

The lone death has been reported from Samastipur district, a Disaster Management Department statement said.

According to the Water Resources Department, for the first time in a fortnight the water level of Ganga is flowing below danger mark today in all the seven places where it is monitored in Bihar.

The water level of the river receded in Kahalgaon for the first time today though at Digha ghat, Gandhi ghat and Hathidah in Patna district and Buxar, Munger and Bhagalpur it had receded a couple of days ago.

The rivers still flowing above the danger mark included Kamlabalan at Jhanjharpur and Kosi at Baltara in Khagaria district, the statement said.

The flood has affected 40 lakh people in 2,189 villages of 613 panchayats of 79 blocks in 12 districts, the Water Resources Deaprtment said.

About 3.17 lakh people have been evacuated from the flood-hit Buxar, Bhojpur, Patna, Vaishali, Saran, Begusarai, Samastipur, Lakhisarai, Khagaria, Munger, Bhagalpur and Katihar districts, the statement said.

The government has deployed 2,973 boats for evacuation while national and state disaster response forces have already been deployed in the affected districts.

With flood situation easing, the numbers of relief camps have reduced to 378 from 652 that were being run till yesterday.

Around 1.98 lakh people have taken shelter in the 378 camps, which are being provided medical services by 589 teams.

A total of 210 camps are being operated for cattle affected by flooding of households. 86 cattle have died so far in the floods.