Punpun flows above danger mark in Patna; CM does aerial survey

The Punpun river continued to flow above the danger mark with the threat of flood looming large on rural Patna district, following torrential rainfall that caused havoc in the state last week, killing at least 73 people. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday conducted an aerial survey of rain-hit districts of Arwal, Jehanabad and Patna, caused by the swelling Punpun river, and reviewed the ground situation.

Kumar was accompanied by Water Resources Minister Sanjay Jha, Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar and others, an official release said here. The Water Resources Department said Punpun river, which joins the Ganga about 25 kms downstream south of Patna, recorded this monsoon's highest rainfall on Friday at 53.61 meters near Sripalpur in Patna which is 3.01 meters above the danger mark of 50.60 meters.

The present water level of the Punpun is slightly below the highest level ever recorded - 53.91 meters in 1976. The water level of Punpun was recorded at 74.10 meters in Hamidnagar in Aurangabad district at 12 noon on Friday while it was 52.16 and 48.00 meters at Gaurichak and Fatuha in Patna respectively, it said.

The water level of Ganga at Digha ghat on Friday recorded 50.54 meters which is slightly above danger mark of 50.45, Water Resources Department report said. Meanwhile, in the state capital, heavy duty pumps borrowed from Coal India Ltd, NTPC and Kalyanpur Cement were engaged in flushing out water rapidly from the worst-affected localities like Rajendra Nagar, Kankar Bagh and Pataliputra Colony.

The main road of Pataliputra colony has been cleared of waterlogging, though its lanes and bylanes have still knee-deep waters, officials said. Small pumps were in use for clearing water-logged narrow alleys and slums.

The plying of trains has been hampered as the overflowing river waters touched the rilway tracks between Punpun-Parsa bazar and Bena-Bihar Sharif stations, they said. Eleven trains have been cancelled, one short- terminated and 12 others are running on diverted routes on Friday, while 13 trains scheduled for Saturday were diverted, ECR Chief Public Relations Officer Rajesh Kumar said.

Patna District Magistrate Kumar Ravi has ordered for closure of all government and private schools on Saturday in view of waterlogging in many areas of the capital city and adjoining places. Health Department Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar has ruled out the immediate possibility of any epidemic in Patna.

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