Patna, July 25: The disaster management department today included Purnea, Kishanganj, Madhepura, Bhagalpur and Katihar districts among the flood-affected areas because of heavy rainfall in Nepal since last week.
The death toll on the fifth day of the flood has also gone up from three to nine. Four people have died in Kishanganj, three in Supaul and one each in Araria and Katihar.
Till now, Araria, Supaul and Darbhanga were declared flooded but as several rivers continued to flow past the danger level, five more districts were included. The Bagmati, Kosi, Mahananda and Ghaghra rivers are flowing above the danger level, said central water commission officials.
The Bagmati is flowing 69cm above danger line at Benibaad in Muzaffarpur district, Kosi 103cm above danger line at Baltar in Khagaria, Mahananda 128cm above the danger line at Dhangra Ghat in Purnea and Ghaghra is 10cm above danger line at Gangpur Siswan in Siwan district.
The embankment of Parmaan river at Amaur block in Purnea district has also been damaged. Public relations officer in the water resources department Arvind Kumar Singh said a team of engineers has rushed to the spot along with the local administration to repair the damaged stretch. He said rest of the embankments are safe.
"Nearly 3 lakh people are affected by the flood in 33 blocks in eight districts. A total of 28,823 people have been evacuated to safety," said special secretary, disaster management, Anirudh Kumar said. "150 jawans of the state disaster response force and national disaster response force have been deputed for evacuation and relief work."
The Bagmati neared National Highway 57 in Muzaffarpur today as water spilled over to Aurai, Katra and Gaighat blocks. Roadways to the blocks were disrupted as the water level swelled in the countryside areas.
The district administration has pressed 15 more boats into service to ferry the stranded people.
In Darbhanga, around 20 villages were inundated with the floodwaters, as several villages on the western embankment of the Kosi were cut off from the block headquarters.
Anirudh said the disaster management department has distributed 158 quintals of beaten rice, 17.25 quintals of jaggery, 300 packets of matchbox, 2,850 candles, 200l of kerosene oil, 2,121 plastic sheets and 520 food packets among the affected people.
As reports reached Patna of more districts being affected, chief minister Nitish Kumar convened a review meeting with principal secretary, water resources, Arun Kumar Singh, principal secretary, disaster management, Vyasji and chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh among other officials.
Vyasji and Arun, on Nitish's instructions, conducted aerial inspections in the Seemanchal and Kosi regions with senior engineers and reported back to the chief minister the ground situation.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KHWAJA JAMAL AND SANJAY K. MISHRA
