Central team takes stock of damage done by floods in north Bihar

The Central team also convened a meeting of district magistrates (DMs) of Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur and Samastipur at Darbhanga collectorate after the aerial survey

A Central team conducted an aerial survey of flood-hit districts in north Bihar on Monday to report on the extent of damages to the Central government, which could influence the proportion of monetary relief the state gets, said a senior government official.

A group of children are being taught in a class organised on a boat in a flooded village at Manihari area, in Bihar’s Katihar. A Central team is assessing the damage caused by floods in Bihar. (ANI Photo)

After conducting aerial survey of Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur and Samastipur districts, the 6-member Central team led by Rakesh Kumar Singh, joint secretary in the ministry of home affairs, convened a meeting of district magistrates (DMs) of Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur and Samastipur at Darbhanga collectorate on Monday evening.

Darbhanga DM Thiyagrajan SM apprised the Central team about the devastation caused by the flooding of Bagmati, Kamla Balan and Adhwara groups of rivers besides a slew of measures taken to mitigate the miseries of flood-hit population in Keoti, Benipur, Kusheshwar Asthan, Hayaghat, Ghanshyampur and Goura Boram blocks. The DM pointed out that 267,000 families comprising 764,000 people in 130 panchayats were affected and crops in 26,940 acres had been damaged.

He also briefed the Central team about the relief delivered to the affected population with the help of national disaster response force (NDRF) teams besides deployment of 410 boats and operation of 290 community kitchens in flood-hit pockets of the districts.

Muzaffarpur DM Pranav Kumar said about 440,000 residents in the district were affected by the flooding of the Bagmati, Burhi Gandak and Gandak rivers, leading to 95 related-deaths.

Samastipur was flooded in three different phases, affecting 406,000 residents. DM Shashank Shubhankar said during the phase 1 between July 7 and August 1, floods hit 50 villages, affecting 71 thousand people; while in second phase between August 12 and 29, as many as 329,000 residents were affected in 108 villages and in third phase, nearly six thousand people were affected by floods.

Meanwhile, according to Samastipur railway division’s senior DCM-cum media incharge, Saraswati Chandra, rail traffic between Darbhanga - Samastipur section was restored after six days at 6.05pm on Monday.

Train movements on Darbhanga-Samastipur section were suspended on August 31 as a precautionary measure after a flooded Bagmati river touched a girder of a railway bridge (no. 16) between Thalwara and Hayaghat railway stations in Samastipur rail division under East Central Railway, the official said.