26 dead, about 2.2 million affected in Bihar floods

Twenty-six people have died and about 22 lakh were affected so far in Bihar floods with many rivers, including Koshi, flowing above danger mark.

While Kishanganj alone accounted eight flood-related deaths, seven others perished in Purnia district, the state Disaster Management Department said on Friday.

Katihar and Madhepura district accounted for two deaths each, while Araria and Saharsa recorded one casualty each in the current wave of floods, it said in a statement.

An estimated 2.2 million people have been affected by flood across 10 districts — Purnia, Kishanganj, Araria, Darbhanga, Madhepura, Bhagalpur, Katihar, Saharsa, Supaul and Gopal district, the statement said.

An area of 1.83 lakh hectare has been submerged, while the crops spread over .83 lakh hectare got damaged even as the quantum of loss was under assessment.

Altogether 392 pucca houses have been damaged, while the number of damaged kuchcha houses stood at 4,703.

As many as 4,639 hutments have also been damaged in the deluge.

The value of damage to houses and hutments stood at Rs 67.91 lakh even as assessment was being made about value of damaged public properties.

The Disaster Management Department statement said rivers like Kagmati-Benibad in Muzaffarpur, Aghwara-Kamtaul in Darbhanga, Koshi-Baltara in Khagaria, Koshi-Kursela in Katihar, Mahananda-Dhengra in Purnia and Jhawa in Katihar were flowing above the danger level.

A total of 8,850 boats have been pressed into service to evacuate people stranded in flooded areas with about 3.89 lakh people being evacuated so far.

Altogether 205,000 people were staying at relief camps, the number of which stood at 369.

The state government has deployed 102 medical teams to treat sick people in the flood-affected areas.

Arrangements have been made for food and related materials for the flood-affected people with 1,753 quintal chura (flattened rice), 360 quintal jaggery, besides kerosene oil, matchstick, candles, polythene sheets, etc given to them under relief measures by the state government agencies.

In view of the rivers in spate in 10 districts, the state government has prepositioned one NDRF team each at Supaul, Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga and Didarganj in Patna, while one SDRF team each has been prepositioned at Khagaria, Sitamarhi, Purnia, Madhubani, Bhagalpur and Madhepura.

Two teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been stationed at Bihta near Patna on wait.

NDRF and SDRF teams have been rushed to all flood-affected districts to carry out rescue and relief works, the disaster management department said.