Bihar floods: Six districts under water, over a lakh displaced; NDRF deployed

A view of broken culvert broken due to flooded water following incessant monsoon rainfall, at Chiraiya block under East Champaran. (PTI Photo)

“We are sending teams of NDRF and SDRF for rescue operations. We have been also running dozens of camps and community kitchens for the flood-affected people,” Disaster management principal secretary Pratyaya Amrit told The Indian Express.

Thousands of people are now living in camps and eating at community kitchens being run by the state government.

The floods are a result of additional water discharge in Kosi, Gandak and Bagmati rivers from Nepal owing to heavy rains in the country. Due to increased water pressure on banks of Kosi in Supaul, all 56 gates of Birpur barrage have been raised since Saturday evening. Nearly four lakh cusecs water was discharged from the barrage on Sunday morning, causing floods in Supaul, Kisanpur, Marouna and Nirmali. Meanwhile, Bagmati river, which has been flowing above danger marks, has caused floods in over 200 villages of Sitamarhi and Sheohar in North Bihar.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar takes an aerial survey of the flood affected districts of Bihar, Sunday. (PTI Photo)

Sheohar district has lost connectivity with adjoining districts as roads have submerged underwater at several places including the road between Nanpur block of Sitamarhi and Gayghat block of Muzaffarpur. Besides Bagmati, Kamala Balan and Lakhandei rivers have also swelled.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi and water resources minister Sanjay Jha conducted an aerial survey of the flood-hit districts during the day. Nitish has issued a series of instructions to water resources and disaster management department to intensify relief and rescue operations.