The flood situation remained grim in Bihar while the death toll rose to 253 yesterday, an official said.
The Bihar Disaster Management Department official said 126.87 lakh people in 1,965 panchayats under 171 blocks in 18 districts have been affected by the floods.
According to an official release, till date 7,21,704 people have been evacuated to safe places by the rescue teams of the army, the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force, while the government has set up 1,358 relief camps in which 4,21,824 people are living.
“For the flood victims, 2,569 community kitchens have been set up,” the official said.
“Major rivers in spate have breached banks, inundated new areas and displaced thousands since last week, washing away hundreds of huts and damaging buildings, roads, bridges and standing crops worth crores of rupees,” he said.
He said thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes after flood waters entered their villages and have taken shelter at high places including school buildings and embankments.
Meanwhile, the army yesterday rescued people marooned in the flood-hit Gorakhpur city in Uttar Pradesh, a military official said.
Three teams from the army have been pressed into service at the request of the state government. All three teams were “working relentlessly to rescue people marooned in the flood waters”, the official said.
They were also distributing relief material such as food packets, water, medicines and dry ration.
More than 250 people have been evacuated in the last 24 hours in Gorakhpur’s Moharipur, Maniram and Gau Ghaat areas.
Villagers queue for food at the flood-hit Dagrua village in Bihar.
