Bihar flood situation continues to be grim

Rain hampers rescue operations

The waters from the swollen Bagmati river entered several villages in Muzaffapur district on Monday. Meanwhile, senior engineers of the Water Resources Department, along with around 800 labourers, are working round-the-clock to plug a 90-metre breach on the embankment of the river.  Nearly 20,000 people have taken shelter on embankments, and rooftops.

The embankment along the Bagmati is overcrowded with displaced families. Several thatched huts and wooden houses have collapsed after the swirling waters gushed into many villages.

Armed with life jackets and motor boats, a special team of the Sashastra Seema Bal, Border Security Force and the National Disaster Response Force  is working overtime to rescue  flood-affected people and bring them to relief camps.

But continuous rain in the area has opened a floodgate of miseries. Vehicular traffic has been disrupted as the road link between Sitamarhi and Muzaffapur is under two feet of water. Till a few days ago, Bihar was facing drought-like situation in most parts of the state as it had received scanty rainfall which had hampered paddy cultivation.