NEW DELHI, Aug 17: The flood situation in Bihar remained grim Monday with water level in the Ganga continuing to rise, while heavy rains disrupted normal life in parts of the country, and at least seven persons drowned in inundated water bodies in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
As per the Central Water Commission’s daily flood situation report, its 15 stations in Bihar, six in Assam, four in Uttar Pradesh, two in Telangana and one each in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal recorded ‘Severe Flood Situation’.
Meanwhile, an IMD forecast said enhanced rainfall activity with heavy to very heavy falls is very likely over northwest India including Western Himalayan region till August 20 and decrease thereafter.
It said isolated heavy to very heavy with extremely heavy falls are likely over East Rajasthan on Tuesday and Wednesday and over Uttarakhand on Tuesday.
“Widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy falls very likely over Gujarat state, Maharashtra State & Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal during next 4-5 days,” it said.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) deployed its MI-17 helicopter to rescue a 43-year-old man who remained stranded on a tree for over 12 hours amid overflowing water discharged from a dam in Chhattisgarhs Bilaspur district.
In Bihar, the floods have affected 81.56 lakh people in 16 districts. So far, 25 people have died in flood-related incidents.
The water level in Ganga continued to rise on Monday, increasing by 5-24 cm in Buxar, Munger, Bhagalpur, Kahalgaon, and at Digha Ghat in Patna, as per a bulletin issued by the state Water Resources Department.
The river’s water level at the Gandhi Ghat in Patna was 48.62 meters, which is 2 cm above the danger mark, it said.
Several other rivers, including Baghmati, Burhi Gandak, Punpun, Khiroi and Ghaghra, are flowing above the danger level at different places in the state, the bulletin said.
Over the last 24 hours, the number of people affected increased by 11,771, taking the total number of people suffering due to the floods to 81,56,127.
Managing flood relief operations has become a doubly difficult task for officials due to the looming threat of COVID-19.
In Uttar Pradesh, where 15 districts are hit by floods, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to maintain social distancing in relief camps. He asked them to segregate those who have fever, cold and headache and get them tested for COVID-19, if required.
The Sharda river at Palia Kalan in Lakhimpur Kheri and the Saryu and the Ghaghra at Barabanki’s Elgin Bridge, Ayodhya and Ballia’s Turtipar are flowing above the danger mark, relief commissioner Sanjay Goyal said.
The deluge has affected 788 villages in 15 districts, he said. Among the affected villages, 454 are marooned.
Meanwhile, Odisha, which witnessed a flood-like situation in several areas, is likely to get more downpour over the next few days with a fresh low-pressure area brewing over the Bay of Bengal.
While many parts of the state have been battered by heavy rainfall due to three back-to-back low-pressure areas so far this month, a new one is likely over the Bay of Bengal around August 19 and bring more downpour, the Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar said.
Heavy downpour since August 13 has created a flood-like situation in several parts of Odisha, snapping road connectivity, damaging mud houses and crops, and killing two people, officials said.
In the worst-hit Malkangiri district, low-level bridges connecting various block headquarters were inundated, temporarily disrupting the road connectivity, district collector Manish Agarwal said.
Normal life was affected at various places in Telangana too on Monday due to the incessant rains lashing the state for the past few days.
The flood level in Godavari river at Bhadrachalam was 60.7 ft, crossing the 3rd Warning Level, at 1300 hours on Monday, official sources said.
In the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, the Godavari river is swelling by the hour, inundating more villages along the course, as it inched towards a record flood level.
As the water level crossed 60 feet at Bhadrachalam in neighbouring Telanagna, the Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage at Dowaleswaram near Rajamahendravaram received 18.27 lakh cusecs by noon on Monday.
Over 55 villages in West Godavari district and about 100 in East Godavari district remain marooned or inundated.
In East Godavari, close to 6,000 people were evacuated to safety from the flood-hit villages and lodged in relief camps. In West Godavari, too, about 2,000 people were shifted to relief camps.
Power supply to the affected villages has been cut as a precautionary measure.
In Maharashtra, water level of the Krishna, Warna and Koyna rivers in Sangli has risen due to continuous rain, following which the district administration has asked people living near the banks of these rivers to remain alert.
In Madhya Pradesh, two boys drowned on Monday in a water-filled pit in Bansadehi village in Raisen district.
In Rajasthan, five youths, including three siblings, drowned in separate incidents in Rajasthan. Light to moderate rainfall lashed parts of the state.
Three districts of Assam — Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Baksa — are still inundated and 11,900 people are reeling under the impact of the flood. (PTI)
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