Death toll rises in Bihar as flood situation worsens

Patna: Heavy rains in the last 48 hours and water-logging in streets and residential areas in several cities of Bihar have exposed the failures of the state government.

The condition remained grim on Sunday due to heavy rains in Patna and other districts of the state. According to reports, more than 14 people have lost their lives as heavy rainfall over the last three days caused flood-like situation across the state.

Concerned over excessive rainfall and rising water level in most of the major rivers, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar called an emergency meeting with senior officials and reviewed the ongoing relief operations in the affected areas.

“The state government is doing everything possible to control the situation which has been caused due to excessive rainfall and rising water level in several major rivers. Officials are monitoring the relief and rescue operations in the affected areas of Bihar. Our government is also concerned over the incidents occurred due to rains in the rural areas”, chief minister Nitish Kumar told reporters in Patna after meeting officials on Sunday. According to the MET department reports, more than 212 mms of rains were recorded in Patna alone on Saturday and the situation is likely to continue till September 30.

The chief minister’s office had earlier issued an alert in at least 16 districts. On Saturday, while reviewing the situation through video conference Nitish Kumar had asked district magistrates to make arrangements for people, who have been stranded in the waterlogged areas.

The water resources department too issued an alert as the water level in major rivers, including the Ganga and Gandak crossed the danger mark, causing pressure to the embankment in some of the areas. Experts said that Ganga water at Patna’s Gandhi Ghat has been flowing 80 cms above the danger mark.

In Patna and other districts, including Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur, and Katihar, several teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were deployed to rescue people who have been stranded in affected areas.

Train services have also been temporarily suspended and telephone lines, mobile, and internet services too have been badly hit due to excessive rains and flood-like situation in several districts of the state.

According to officials monitoring the situation, “rescue team has been asked to patrol low lying areas and evacuate people. Schools in the affected districts, including the state capital Patna has been closed as a precautionary measure”.

According to state disaster management principal secretary Pratyay Amrit, “administrative officials have been asked to remain on high alert. A top priority for the state administration is to ensure public safety and officials have been asked to evacuate all those, who have been stranded, due to heavy rains in Patna and other districts of Bihar”.