Congress urges swift relief as Bihar floods affect nearly 50 lakh

Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday urged the government and administration to speed up relief and rescue operations in flood-hit Bihar and ensure essential assistance reaches affected families without delay.

Congress president Kharge said the loss of lives was “extremely heartbreaking” and said nearly 50 lakh people across 15 districts had been affected by the floods. He urged the government to focus on relief, rescue, medical assistance and rehabilitation.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also expressed condolences to families who lost loved ones and appealed to Congress workers to provide all possible assistance to affected people.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said lakhs of people had been affected and called for relief and rescue operations to be expedited.

Nearly 49.67 lakh people in 15 districts have been affected by floods, according to the Bihar Disaster Management Department. The affected districts include Patna, Bhojpur, Saran, Vaishali, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, Buxar, Samastipur, Munger, Katihar, Lakhisarai, Khagaria, Purnea, Madhepura and Araria.

Officials said heavy rain, along with incessant rainfall in the catchment areas of rivers flowing from Nepal, has caused several rivers and streams to cross their danger marks.

Bihar has recorded 112.7 mm of rain so far in September, around six per cent above normal, the weather office said.