India / Nearly 15 lakh affected in 11 flood-hit districts of Bihar

Patna: Nearly 15 lakh people have been affected by floods in 11 districts of Bihar, and at least 10 have lost their lives in the deluge, the disaster management department said on Sunday.

According to the department, Darbhanga is the worst-affected district, as 5.36 lakh people there have either been displaced or are trapped inside their homes.

Floodwaters have entered homes in Bishunpur village of Darbhanga district, forcing people to wade through waist-deep water, even as they try and salvage their valuables.

“We witness flood every year, but this year all records have been broken,” a resident of the village said.

Similarly, many people in Mabbi village of the district and some from the adjoining areas have come out to live on the streets, as portions of their houses have been washed away in the deluge.

A total of 131 panchayats of 12 blocks of Darbhanga district have been affected by the flood, the department said in its bulletin.

In Muzaffarpur district, over two lakh people have been affected, while the number of sufferers in East Champaran has touched 2.72 lakh, the bulletin stated.

Other districts affected due to the flood are Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Supaul, Kishanganj, Gopalganj, West Champaran, Khagaria and Saran.

“A total of 14.95 lakh people have been affected by floods at 625 panchayats of 86 blocks in 11 districts of Bihar,” the bulletin said.

Seventeen teams of the NDRF and eight of the SDRF are involved in the rescue operations.

As many as 1.36 lakh people have been evacuated from the marooned areas so far, the department said, adding that 14,011 people have put up in 26 relief camps.

Around 1.77 lakh people were being fed at 463 community kitchens in the state.

Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters have dropped food packets in several flood-hit areas. Each packet contains two-and-half kg of rice, one kg gram, 500 gm jaggery, a match box and packet of candles.

Meanwhile, a woman delivered a baby on one of the rescue boats of NDRF’s 9th battalion in East Champaran. The newborn’s mother hailed from Gobari village of the district.

NDRF Commandant Vijay Sinha said that the NDRF personnel are trained in handling childbirth during emergencies. The mother and the newborn girl were shifted to a nearby primary health centre.

Several rivers such as Baghmati, Burhi Gandak, Kamlabalan, Lalbakeya, Adhwara, Khiroi, Mahananda and Ghaghra are flowing above the danger level, an official at water resources department said.

The Ganga is flowing below the danger mark at all locations, but it continues to swell, he said

Many trains on the Muzaffarpur-Narkatiaganj and Samastipur-Darbhanga sections have changed their routes, while there are others which have been diverted or short-terminated, East Central Railway (ECR) CPRO Rajesh Kumar said.