E-Paper
Death toll rises to 535; floods recede
The death toll has risen to 535 with the discovery of more bodies in Bihar, even as flood waters began to recede in the state.
The death toll from monsoon floods in India has risen to 535 with the discovery of more bodies in Bihar, even as flood waters began to recede, officials have said.
Authorities in Assam and Bihar, where the number of deaths had jumped to 387, were battling to deliver relief supplies to stranded families.
State authorities were also warning against the outbreak of waterborne diseases as displaced families battled to cope with the lack of fresh food and water.
"As some districts -- including Darbanga, Madhubani, Sitamarhi -- were cut off by the floods, the toll has jumped to 387," Bihar disaster management official RN Tiwari said.
He added that news from these areas, which had been cut off for two weeks, had only begun to come in the past 24 to 48 hours as flood waters began to recede.
The Northeast reported 133 deaths, an official statement has said , with more than 12 million people displaced by heavy monsoon rains since mid-June.
Some 400,000 houses in about 11,000 villages had been washed away, another government statement said.
An official release said Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi had ordered the speedy delivery of bleaching powder, oral rehydration solution and medicines to flood-hit districts.
"Floating dead bodies and filth is to be found everywhere and as drinking water is still scarce, eye sores, throat infection and gastro-intestinal problems are common," Rajeev Kumar, a doctor in Darbhanga said.
In West Bengal, 15 people were killed in floods and landslides, West Bengal Flood Relief Minister Hafiz Ali Sairani said.
Flood victims in Assam said the only relief supplies they received so far were bags of rice and salt.
"Our children are starving but then what to do? We are feeding them just boiled rice and salt, at times forcefully," said Nal Banu, a mother of two teenage children.
Even water purifying tablets were not available, complained another.
"When in distress, we are forced to give dirty floodwater to our children. We heard that something called halogen tablets (water purifying tablets) have reached the state from some aid agencies, but then where are they?" asked Sreemanta Das.
