Bihar: Around 1.2 million residents affected as flood waters reaches low-lying areas of several districts

PATNA: Flood crisis has turned severe in several parts of Bihar, affecting over one million people in low-lying belts of several districts. At least 10 people have died in separate incidents linked with drowning while thousands of residents have been forced to take shelter in relief camps after being affected badly by the flood waters.

According to the reports, two people were drowned in flood water in Bhagalpur district while one causality each was reported from Khagaria, Lakhisarai and Begusarai district in the last two days.

Around 1.2 million residents of over 350 panchayats of various districts including Buxar, Saran, Vaishali, Samastipur, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Patna, Bhagalpur etc. have been affected badly by the rising waters in the low-lying region, informed Disaster Management Department, Bihar in an official statement issued on Sunday evening, September 22.

Around 1400 boats are ferrying the commuters in the areas submerged in the flood while 20 boat ambulances are also being stationed near the banks to ferry the residents in case of any medical emergency. Instructions have been passed to take special care of children, elderly and pregnant women, read the statement.

 In Patna, residents of Diara region have been shifted to relief camps. Here the administration has issued orders to close the schools in the affected areas till Thursday. “Every possible administrative help is being provided to the affected people and those who have displaced in the flood-affected areas, necessary arrangements have also been made for animals, informed, Dr Chandrasekhar Singh, District Magistrate, Patna.

Train services disrupted in Bhagalpur

Meanwhile several trains were cancelled while many of them were rerouted after flood waters touched a girder of bridge in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district on Sunday, informed East Central Railway in a statement.

Floodwater touched the bridge girder 195 between Sultanganj and Ratanpur at around midnight, disrupting train services on Bhagalpur-Patna train route. A few of the trains were later rerouted while as many as four of them are terminated.

Community kitchen and medical camps for resident

Hundreds of community kitchens are being operated to feed around 1.5 lakh people, while around 4000 people have been shifted in relief camps being operated by the government. Additionally, 20000 packets of dry ration have also been distributed in flood-hit areas.

The department has also setup medical camps in the flood-affected areas to distribute relief materials among the residents, further water level of Ganga is being continuously monitored by the officials stationed at Flood Management Improvement Support Centre (FMISC). A decrease in the water level of Ganga however has been witnessed on Monday and the officials are hopeful that it will decrease further in the coming days.