UP floods : 3 dead, over 16K evacuated as relief operations scale up
As many as 16,784 people have been evacuated to safety so far, with 3,042 of them rescued on Wednesday, as flood conditions persisted in parts of Uttar Pradesh, with 23 districts currently affected out of 35 districts impacted so far, officials said.
Three people have died in rain-related incidents -- 18-month-old Priyansh in Pratapgarh and Shera, 32, and Suresh, 55, in Amroha's Gajraula.
The government said 1,499 boats and motorboats have been deployed for relief and rescue operations, while 1,067 medical teams have been pressed into service.
The affected districts are Ayodhya, Azamgarh, Ballia, Barabanki, Badaun, Chandauli, Farrukhabad, Ghazipur, Gorakhpur, Hardoi, Kasganj, Lakhimpur Kheri, Mirzapur, Moradabad, Pilibhit, Prayagraj, Raebareli, Sant Kabir Nagar, Shahjahanpur, Sitapur, Sonbhadra, Unnao and Varanasi, it said in the evening.
The government has established 1,311 flood shelters, of which 201 are currently operational. Relief agencies have also provided assistance in 442 cases involving damaged houses, while 36,287 livestock have been affected.
In Chitrakoot, around 150 people were rescued from Chaura village along the Mandakini river with the help of motorboats of the 42nd Battalion PAC (Provincial Armed Constabulary). Food, relief material and medical assistance were also provided to the rescued people.
In Ballia, rising levels of the Ganga and Saryu have affected around 20,500 people. Eighty-three boats have been deployed, while 6,500 ration kits, 33,843 medicine kits and 83,092 cooked-food packets have been distributed.
As many as 16,629 livestock have been vaccinated and 965 quintals of fodder provided. Flood posts, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and PAC teams have also been deployed.
Relief shelters and community kitchens have been set up at Gopalnagar Tadi and Bhojpurwa, officials said.
In Pilibhit, the Sharda, Deoha and Khakra rivers were rising. More than two lakh cusecs of water was released from Banbasa into the Sharda and over 30,000 cusecs from Nanak Sagar into the Deoha. Classes 1 to 8 were closed, while the submergence of the Khakra bridge disconnected around 18 villages.
Residents of low-lying areas were advised to move to safer locations. At the 200-bed medical college, the main power supply remained disrupted for more than 34 hours after rainwater entered an underground cable box, with generators being used.
In Lakhimpur Kheri, District Magistrate Anjani Kumar Singh inspected the Girija barrage afflux bund and areas affected by erosion along the Mohana river. Round-the-clock work was underway, while around a dozen houses in the submerged zone were being relocated.
The Sharda river at Palia was 35 cm above the danger mark of 154.59 metres and remained steady, officials said. Agricultural land and village approach roads were inundated, though no village was reported completely flooded.
Relief distribution has also been scaled up, with 68,953 foodgrain packets and more than 3.36 lakh lunch packets distributed. More than 5.02 lakh chlorine tablets and over 1.77 lakh ORS packets have been distributed to help prevent water-borne diseases.
Earlier, the government had reported 1,640 foodgrain packets, 16,190 lunch packets, over 18,000 chlorine packets and more than 7,000 ORS packets distributed.
The administration has advised people in vulnerable areas to remain alert and follow directions issued by local authorities.
In Ghaziabad, a yellow alert remains in place till September 4, with residents advised to exercise caution during heavy rain and avoid waterlogged areas.
