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Rain impedes relief operations

Photo : Ranjeet Kumar

Life crippled: The scene outside the Bihar Assembly after many areas in Patna were flooded due to heavy rain on Tuesday.

PATNA: Non-stop torrential rain during the past 24 hours has made life more miserable for the 1.5 crore people reeling under the impact of the floods for more than three weeks now in Bihar.

The rising rivers threaten more inundation even as relief operations have come to a standstill thanks to the incessant downpour across the Ganga plains. The State received a good 116.7 mm of rain in just less than 24 hours and the forecast was equally ominous. The weatherman predicted no let-up with the depression in the Bay of Bengal expected to last another 24 hours.

All the major rivers are maintaining a rising trend and once again crossed their danger marks. These include the Burhi Gandak, Kosi, Kamla Balan, Bhutahi Balan and the Gandak, all of which have already breached their embankments wreaking havoc on millions of people.

IAF helicopters did not take off to drop relief packets and the Patna airport was closed for general traffic too. Other modes of relief distribution were also affected.

The death toll continues to mount. Seven members of a family, including a woman and four children, were drowned when a boat capsized in floodwaters of the Burhi Gandak in Khagaria district.

About 30 people had boarded the boat in a bid to reach higher grounds following the inundation of their village, but the swift and rising currents proved fatal. The state government has announced a compensation of Rs. 1.5 lakh to each of the bereaved family. The official death toll stands at 274, though the unofficial figure was much higher. Most localities in the State capital were under two to three feet of water, with the total collapse of the drainage system. The main gate and the approach road to the State legislature and the main secretariat were under three feet water. Adding to the problem was a major power breakdown that lasted for more than 12 hours in various colonies and commercial sectors.

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Rain impedes relief operations

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