UP flood situation continues to be grim, toll rises to 108

In Uttar Pradesh, 28 lakh people were affected

The flood situation remained grim in Uttar Pradesh, where 28 lakh people were affected and the toll climbed to 108 with four more deaths, while flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh on Friday claimed the lives of three persons.

However, the situation in deluge-hit Bihar and Assam continued to improve and no new deaths were reported in both the states.

In the national capital, a portion of a mountainous garbage dump in east Delhi's Ghazipur collapsed because of heavy rain, killing two people.

A day after torrential rain -- the heaviest in three years -- lashed Delhi, a section of the pile in a landfill slumped over a car and three two-wheelers, pushing the vehicles off the road and into a canal. Five people were rescued from the canal.

In Uttar Pradesh, raging waters of rivers emanating from Nepal continued to cause havoc in vast swathes of land.

Citing a flood report compiled till yesterday, the relief commissioner's office said around 3 lakh people have taken shelter in relief camps in the affected districts, mostly in eastern parts of the state.

"The death toll in the floods has reached 108 in the state, where 3,101 villages in 24 districts are inundated affecting a population of over 28 lakh," it said.

Army choppers, NDRF and PAC (flood) personnel continued relief and rescue operations round the clock in the severely affected areas of the flood-hit districts of the state.

Twenty-eight companies of NDRF, 32 companies of PAC (flood) along with two choppers of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and several Army personnel were working round the clock to save lives and properties in the affected areas.

A Central Water Commission report here said the Sharda river was flowing above the red mark at Palia Kalan and near the danger mark at Shardanagar while the Ghaghra river was flowing above the red mark at Turtipar in Ballia.

The Rapti river was also flowing well above the red mark at Rigauli and Birdghat in Gorakhpur, it said.

In the hill state of Himachal Pradesh, heavy rains lashed several areas causing flash floods and triggered landslides, killing three persons, damaging houses and blocking roads.

Relief and rescue teams recovered the bodies with the help of the locals while the injured have been hospitalised.

Heavy rains caused flash floods in Bagi Nallah in Mabdi district's Drang area, damaging three houses. No death has been reported from the area.

Landslides also blocked roads in the area, famous for the Parashar Lake. The Theog-Hatkoti National highway was also blocked by mudslides, stranding vehicles.

With the water level receding at several places, the flood situation in Bihar continued to improve and no fresh death was reported since yesterday.

The number of relief camps has come down to 54 from yesterday's 107 while the toll in flood-related incidents stood at 514.

The number of people taking shelter at relief camps too has gone down to 25,383 against 57,109 yesterday.

As many as 1.71 crore people spread across 19 districts of Bihar have been hit by this year's flood.

In Assam, around 46,000 people of Chirang, Morigaon, Nagaon and Golaghat districts were still affected by floods.

Yesterday, around 61,000 people of five districts were affected by the deluge.

However, landslide was reported at Sontila Gorubari Road in Dima Hasao hill district damaging health centres there, the Assam Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said.

The devastating third wave of floods in the state has so far claimed 74 lives. The death toll in this year's flood- related incidents in the state was 158.

Hundreds of wild animals, including rhinos and deer perished in the Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary because of the flood.