Nearly 83 lakh affected in 16 flood-hit districts of Bihar

The flood situation in Bihar remained grim on Friday with an additional 1.13 lakh people bearing the brunt in 16 districts in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of affected people to 82.92 lakh, Disaster Management Department bulletin said. Flood-related deaths remained unchanged at 27, the bulletin said.

As many as 82,92,464 people have been affected by the deluge in 1,322 panchayats of 130 blocks since Thursday.

Additional five panchayat areas faced flood fury in the past 24 hours while the number of blocks and districts remained the same at 130 and 16 respectively. Till Thursday, 81,79, 257 people were impacted by the calamity.

Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur remained the two most affected districts where the number of people hit by the deluge has increased. The number of sufferers has also risen in Gopalganj district. Of the 27 deaths, Darbhanga district reported 11, followed by six in Muzaffarpur, four in West Champaran and two each in Saran, Siwan and Khagaria. Over 5,000 people are staying in six relief centres, the bulletin said.

The Ganga is flowing 10 cm above the danger mark at Gandhi Ghat, over 27 cm above the mark at Hathidah (both in Patna) and more than 34 cm above the mark at Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur, a bulletin issued by the Water Resources Department said.

The water level of the Ganga is witnessing a rising trend in Buxar, Munger, Bhagalpur, Kahalgaon while it has remained steady at Digha and Hathidah.

Prominent rivers which are flowing above the danger mark at several places included the Baghmati, Burhi Gandak, Ghaghra and Khiroi.