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Death toll hits 131 as Assam, Bihar reel due to floods
In all, over 10 million people have been affected due to the floods.
Parts of northern India remained under water as the flood situation showed no signs of relenting in Assam and Bihar, even as the states’ disaster management departments revised death toll figures. In Bihar, 78 persons have died, including 18 in Sitamarhi district, which borders Nepal. The northern part of the state is grappling with floods caused by torrential rains in Nepal, where reports indicate that 90 people have died. More than 5.5 million people in 12 districts of Bihar are affected by the floods.
In Assam, the death toll rose to 39 on Thursday, with 28 districts submerged, and at least 5.4 million people displaced. Barpeta is the worst-hit district with 1.34 million people affected by the deluge, which has damaged over 4,000 houses across the state and affected over 2.5 million animals.
With two more deaths in Meghalaya, the death toll due to flooding rose to eight, and over 155,000 people are affected.
In all, over 10 million people have been affected due to the floods.
More than 250,000 people were living in relief camps across Assam, even as many have set up shanties on the highlands, roads and highways sharing space with their cattle.
“There is no drinking water. We are drinking the river water,” said Kamla Begum, pointing to a bucket full of muddy water of the Brahmaputra. “We have nothing to light the fire. We cannot even boil the water,” she said.
Meanwhile, for Abul Hussain who is living at the relief camp in Kalardia, the floods have struck fear in his heart, as six of his children have received notice for a hearing at the National Register of Citizens, though their names are in the latest draft. They were meant to visit Changsari town on Tuesday but could not go. “I fear they may cut their name from the NRC list,” Hussain said.
Dhrubajyoti Hatibarua, Circle Officer, Goroimari said, “There are around 400 people whose hearings are pending and many have not been able to get to the centres because of floods. We are trying to inform the village headmen, the local NRC officials and others.”
Hatibarua claimed relief including tarpaulin, drinking water, rice, dal, salt has been provided to 6,000 flood affected people.
Large parts of Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, home to Assam’s famed one-horned rhinoceros, continued to be under water.
On Thursday, a photo depicting the body of a child lying abandoned on land washed by floods went viral on social media. Bihar’s Muzaffarpur District Magistrate Alok Ranjan Ghosh said the child had died, along with two elder siblings, when they were shoved into the swollen Bagmati river by their mother, after a fight with their father. The woman too, jumped into the river, but survived.
The incident had taken place in Sheetalpatti village under Meenapur block, and the matter is being investigated by police, Ghosh said.
Officials of the state’s Water Resource Department said that with the closing of 28 sluice gates on the Kosi barrage, the flood situation had eased in Supaul and Araria. However, low-lying areas in Muzaffarpur town became vulnerable, after water from Valmiki barrage was discharged into the Budhi Gandak river.
WRD executive engineer Shabbir Ahmad said that the level of Budhi Gandak had risen and water had spilled over to low-lying areas of Muzaffarpur. However, the river is yet to touch danger mark in Sikandarpur in Muzaffarpur town.
Ahmad said that people residing along the embankment had been asked to move to safer places.
Rain forecast released by Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said that nine districts of Bihar, including East Champaran, Katihar, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, will receive rains from July 21 to 23.
The IMD has also issued a red alert warning in three districts of Kerala.
The Army was called out in Punjab’s Sangrur district following a 50-foot breach in the Ghaggar river that inundated over 2,000 acres of agricultural field and inhabitants of a few nearby villages fled fearing flood threat.
