Other States - Bihar   

Three more die in floods; toll 32

Patna: Three deaths were reported from Bihar’s Khagaria and Bagha districts on Sunday taking the toll in the current flood to 32 even as the overall situation improved with major rivers receding gradually.

Two persons drowned in the flood waters in Khagaria and one in Bagha, State’s Disaster Management department sources said.

Around four lakh people are reeling under floods in total 643 villages in Muzaffarpur, Supaul, Patna, Saharsa, Katihar, Nalanda, Araria, West Champaran and Khagaria districts.

According to official sources, 1726 private houses, the value of which is estimated to be approximately Rs 66.68 lakh, public property worth Rs 33.10 lakh and standing crops estimated to cost Rs 60.96 lakh have been destroyed in the current floods, they said. A total of 527 boats were engaged to evacuate the flood victims to safer places. Relief and medical camps are also being opened for the flood-hit people, the sources added.

According to the Central Water Commission sources Ganga, Bagmati, Burhi Gandak and Kosi rivers are maintaining a receding trend in the state in the absence of rains since Saturday.

The water level of Ganga, flowing above the danger mark at Gandhi ghat, has now fallen to near the danger level there. It, however, continued to flow 41 cm above the red mark at Kahalgaon.

Burhi Gandak receded below the danger level at Sikandarpur in Muzaffarpur.

Bagmati too receded and is now flowing 18 cm above the danger mark at Benibad. The water level of Kosi too has fallen.

Water levels of rivers like Punpun, Gandak, Mahananda and the Adhwara group are below the danger mark.

Canning (WB): More than 2,000 bighas of farmland were flooded on Sunday after the Bartali river breached embankments surrounding Namkhana and Moushuni islands of the Sunderbans.

Block Development Officer of Namkhana, Rabindranath Das said the fields at Patibania village in Namkhana island and Kusumtala and Baliara villages in Moushuni island were flooded during high tide in the river this afternoon.

The embankments were damaged in three places, Das said. However, the villages located at a higher ground have not been flooded.

Saline water entering from the rivers of Sunderbans during flood at high tide causes a lot of damage to the standing paddy crop and the nature of the soil also deteriorates. PTI

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Three more die in floods; toll 32

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