Six more dead in Bihar floods

With six more deaths reported in Bihar on Tuesday, the flood toll in the state this monsoon rose to 165, while four perished in lightning strike in Assam.

In the swollen Ganga in the state, water has started receding, but 37.53 lakh people in 12 districts are still affected by floods.

The receding trend was witnessed at Gandhi Ghat and Digha Ghat, thus reducing the threat of flood waters entering into Patna town. The Ganga continues to flow above the danger mark at seven places in four districts.

As many as 644 relief camps are being run in the flood-hit areas in which 3.92 lakh people have taken shelter. A total of 185 camps are being operated for cattle, while the number of animal deaths in the floods has reached to 59. The assessment of crop damage is also being done.

Meanwhile, light to moderate rainfall occurred at a few places in north-central and north-eastern parts but weather remained mainly dry in southeast parts of the state.
Rain lashed the national capital for the second consecutive day resulting in water-logging and slow vehicular movement.

The Safdarjung observatory received 21 mm rainfall, while the reading at Palam observatory was 16.2 mm. The relative humidity levels oscillated between 97% and 69%.
In Assam, four fishermen were killed and three others critically injured in lightning strike in Morigaon district.

In Uttar Pradesh, where a total of 8.7 lakh people in 987 villages in Varanasi, Allahabad, Ghazipur and Ballia are affected due to floods, the state government has alerted the health department to be ready to tacle post-flood waterborne diseases.

According to the Central Water Commission, water in Ganga is receding everywhere in the state but the river is still flowing above the danger mark in Ballia, while Sharda is above the red mark at Palliakalan (Kheri). The state witnessed light to moderate rain at isolated places over the east and a few places over west UP.

In West Bengal, while almost all parts of the state remained dry, southern Kolkata received heavy showers, recording 78.6 mm rainfall at Alipore Met station in 24 hours since Monday morning. Moderate to heavy rain occurred in parts of Rajasthan.