Bihar flood situation grim; 83.62 lakh people affected

The river is flowing 18 cm above the danger level at Gandhi Ghat, over 35 cm above it at Hathidah and more than 36 cm above the red mark at Kahalgaon, it said. The 16-flood affected districts are Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Supaul, Kishanganj, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, West Champaran, East Champaran, Khagaria, Saran, Samastipur, Siwan, Madhubani, Madhepura and Saharsa..

The flood situation remained critical in Bihar where 83.62 lakh people across 16 districts are affected, while no fresh areas were hit by the calamity in the past 48 hours, the Disaster Management Department said on Monday. The number of flood victims and affected areas remained the same since Saturday, the department's bulletin said adding that 83,62,451 people in 1,333 panchayats of 130 blocks are reeling under the impact of the calamity.

Flood-related deaths also remained unchanged at 27. The highest 11 casualties were registered in Darbhanga district, followed by six in Muzaffarpur, four in West Champaran and two each in Saran, Siwan and Khagaria.

However, the number of people being served cooked food has come down to 1.60 lakh on Monday from 1.78 lakh the previous day. The number of community kitchens also reduced by 21 since Sunday to reach 198, the bulletin said. It said that about 5.50 lakh people have been evacuated so far by 26 teams of National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force.

Meanwhile, the Ganga continued to flow above the danger mark at three places in the state -- Gandhi Ghat and Hathidah in Patna and Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district, the Water Resources Department said. The river is flowing 18 cm above the danger level at Gandhi Ghat, over 35 cm above it at Hathidah and more than 36 cm above the red mark at Kahalgaon, it said.

The 16-flood affected districts are Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Supaul, Kishanganj, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, West Champaran, East Champaran, Khagaria, Saran, Samastipur, Siwan, Madhubani, Madhepura and Saharsa.