Seven die, over 15 lakh hit as floods ravage more districts in Bihar

PATNA: Seven people, including two in Darbhanga, have so far died and over 15 lakh affected by floods in 11 north Bihar districts. The floodwaters spread to five blocks in Saran on Sunday, making it the 11th affected district in north Bihar.
According to state disaster management department, four people in West Champaran had died in the floods earlier and over 1.36 lakh had been evacuated to safer places as 625 panchayats under 86 blocks were marooned.
Altogether 25 NDRF and SDRF teams were conducting rescue operations in Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Supaul, Kishanganj, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, East Champaran, West Champaran, Khagaria and Saran districts.
Floodwaters entered Motihari town and train service on Muzaffarpur-Narkatiyaganj section remained disrupted as water was flowing over rail bridge 248 between Sagauli and Majhauliya stations.
Floodwaters overtopped the rail tracks at Sagauli Junction in East Champaran. The diversion at 17.70km of Hayaghat Karachin embankment on Kareh river was breached, but the situation was under control, according to the state water resources department.
Except Burhi Gandak and Bagmati, all major rivers had showed a receding trend on Sunday evening, state water resources department minister Sanjay Kumar Jha said.
“Our engineers are working overtime to plug the Saturday breach in the Gandak embankment in Gopalganj. There were certain problems in transportation of goods as people in large number have come on the embankment. There was seepage/piping at Hayaghat. The engineers are monitoring all the embankments and plugging seepage/piping immediately after getting information,” Jha told TOI.
He said moderate to heavy rain is predicted in the catchment areas of Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Bagmati, Kamala, Kosi and Mahananda areas till July 29.
However, the Central Water Commission (CWC), in its bulletin on Sunday evening, stated that rivers Parman in Araria, Mahananda in Purnia and Katihar, Kosi in Khagaria, Adhwara in Darbhanga, Bagmati in Darbhanga, Sitamarhi and Muzaffarpur, Kamala and Kamla Balan in Madhubani, Burhi Gandak in East Champaran, Muzaffarpur and Samastipur, Ghaghra in Siwan and Gandak in Gopalganj and Muzaffarpur were flowing in ‘severe flood situation’ with falling trend.
These rivers were flowing in ‘above normal flood situation’ in many of the downstream locations with falling trend and are likely to further fall in 2-3 days. However, rainfall is likely to rise in Bihar on July 29 and 30, the CWC said.