Bihar floods affect 46.88 lakh people across 15 districts as rivers remain above danger mark

More than 46 lakh people across 15 districts of Bihar have been affected by floods, with the situation remaining grim on Friday as several rivers continued to flow above the danger mark, officials said.

Incessant rain across the state, along with heavy rainfall in Nepal’s catchment areas, has caused rivers and streams to overflow, according to officials.

The latest bulletin issued by the Disaster Management Department (DMD) said 46.88 lakh people in 561 gram panchayats across 88 blocks have been affected by the floods.

The affected districts are Patna, Bhojpur, Saran, Vaishali, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, Buxar, Samastipur, Munger, Katihar, Lakhisarai, Khagaria, Purnea, Madhepura and Araria.

Bhagalpur, Patna, Saran, Vaishali, Begusarai, Katihar, Purnea and Buxar are among the worst-affected districts.

Bihar has recorded 90 mm of rainfall in September so far, 20 per cent above normal, according to the Bihar Meteorological Service Centre.

The Ganga at Sultanganj in Bhagalpur was flowing at 36.62 metres at 6 am on Friday, 2.12 metres above the danger level. The water level, however, was showing a declining trend.

Several other rivers and river stretches were also above the danger mark, including the Gandak at Dumriya Ghat, Kosi at Baltara and Kursela, Burhi Gandak at Khagaria, and the Ganga at Digha, Gandhi Ghat, Hathidah, Bhagalpur, Kahalgaon and Munger.

The Punpun at Sripalpur, Bagmati at Benibad and Ghaghra at Darauli and Gangpur Siswan were also flowing above the danger mark.

The government is running 1,194 community kitchens in affected districts. Fifteen relief camps are also operating, providing accommodation, food, medical care and other essential services to 11,255 people.

Around 3.10 lakh polythene sheets and 48,300 dry-ration packets have been distributed among flood-affected families.

A total of 1,922 boats are being used for evacuation and transportation, while 7,535 quintals of animal fodder have been distributed.

The DMD said 27 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams and 10 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed across various districts for relief and rescue operations.

The Meteorological Service Centre has forecast light to moderate rain at some places over the next two days, with heavy rainfall possible at one or two locations.