Patna, July 28 (IANS): Torrential rain in the catchment areas of Bihar and Nepal has aggravated the flood situation in the state with almost all major rivers flowing above the danger mark.
Nearly 25 lakh people have been displaced in the state. Despite relief and rescue operations by the Bihar government people are in dire straits. Traffic has been affected in many areas.
According to a report by the water resources department on Tuesday, the water level of the Kosi, near Veerpur barrage, was at a dangerous level at 8 a.m. Similarly, the water level in the Gandak river has crossed the danger mark near Balmikinagar barrage.
Rivers such as the Bagmati, Budhi Gandak, Kamla Balan and Ganga are flowing above the danger mark in many areas.
People have left their homes and taken refuge in higher areas.
Disaster management secretary Ramchandra Dua said that in view of the increased water level of various rivers in Bihar, the disaster management department is constantly maintaining a vigil. As many as 765 panchayats in 93 blocks across 11 districts of Bihar have been affected by the surging waters.
As many as 29 relief camps have been set up in the flood-affected areas which house nearly 13,000 people, Ramachandra said.
He informed that 703 community kitchens are being run which feed 3,28,357 people every day.
The floods have affected 25 lakh people in the state, he added. The NDRF and SDRF teams are carrying out relief and rescue operations round the clock. Some 1,67,005 people have been evacuated. However, eight persons have died due to floods, including four each in Darbhanga and West Champaran.
Chief minister Nitish Kumar has instructed engineers to remain stationed for 24 hours at embankments so that emergency repairs can be carried out. As many as 110 roads have been affected by the floods. Traffic on 28 of these roads has been completely disrupted. Five road bridges, culverts or their contact paths have been damaged. A road construction official said 65 roads have been submerged.