The Hindu : National : Floods wreak havoc on 220 Bihar villages

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Monday, Aug 29, 2005

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National

Floods wreak havoc on 220 Bihar villages

Breaches on the embankment of the Kamala Balan river; train services affected

HOMELESS: Villagers waiting for a rescue boat in flood-hit Madhubani, Bihar, on Sunday. - AP

PATNA: About 220 villages of Darbhanga and Madhubani districts in Bihar have been flooded following breaches at several points on the embankment of the Kamala Balan river.

According to a report from Darbhanga quoting District Magistrate Pradeep Kumar, the embankment developed a breach of 10 to 20 ft following the pressure created by the rising water.

He said the water level has been rising following heavy rains in Nepal.

A report from Samastipur said nearly 70 villages were submerged following the rise in the water level ofthe Ganga, Kamla, Kosi, Kareh and Bagmati. The villagers have moved to higher ground.

Train services were affected on the Ghoghardiha-Nirmali division as tracks were submerged. According to the report, the rivers of Adhwara group were flowing above the danger level.

Assam situation grim

The situation in Assam remained serious on Sunday with the Brahmaputra and its tributaries flooding vast tracts of land, including parts of the famous Kaziranga National Park. Official sources said that due to incessant rain over the past few days, lowlands inside the park have been inundated and 23 forest camps under Kartik, Bhengrai and Bokabeel submerged. They said the animals had migrated to safety to the highlands inside the park and also to Karbi Anglong through the Panbari and Kanchanjuri animal corridors. No casualties were reported.

The Brahmaputra and its tributaries are flowing above danger level in 17 districts, with the State reeling under the third wave of floods which has claimed 27 lives, including 22 deaths due to heavy landslips.

Road communication was disrupted in parts of Darrang, Sonitpur, Morigaon, Barpeta and Kamrup districts. The current wave of floods has affected a population of 4.26 lakhs and 24,228 hectares of cropland in 17 districts of the State.

Floods in Arunachal

At least four houses were washed away by floods in the Pachin in Lekhi village near Itanagar following incessant downpour in the past few days.

All offices remained closed due to road damage near Yupia Tinali, official sources here said on Sunday. PWD sources said road restoration work was being done on a war footing. Road links to Yupia were expected to be restored in 3-4 days. — PTI, UNI

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