Bihar flood toll touches 440, Assam, West Bengal situation improves

New Delhi: Bihar continued to reel under floods with the toll mounting to 440 and 1.71 crore people still affected, while the situation in Assam and West Bengal has improved.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who conducted an aerial survey of flood-hit Araria, Kisanganj, Katihar and Purnea districts along with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi, announced an immediate relief of Rs 500 crore for the deluge-ravaged state.

He also announced Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of those who died in the deluge.

Araria district accounted for 95 deaths followed by Sitamarhi (46) and Katihar (40).

The flood waters, however, have receded in some places, prompting many to return to their homes.

The number of relief camps also dropped to 262, in which 1.65 lakh people were staying, a release by disaster management department said.

A total of 28 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams comprising 1,152 personnel with 118 boats are taking part in rescue and relief operations, it said.

Apart from the NDRF, 16 teams of the State Disaster Response Force comprising 466 personnel are helping people in the flood-hit areas. A total of 630 Army personnel are assisting in relief and rescue operations with 70 boats, the release said.

The flood situation in Assam improved as 2.03 lakh people is six districts were affected by the deluge against yesterday's 2.67 lakh flood-hit people in seven districts.

However, one more death was reported in the state taking the toll in the latest wave of flood to 73. In total, 156 people have died in this year's flood-related incidents in the state.

The waters of only the Dhansiri river was flowing above the danger mark at Numaligarh in Golaghat.

According to a report by Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) Dhemaji, Barpeta, Chirang, Morigaon, Nagaon and Jorhat are still flood-hit.

Currently, 408 villages are under water and more than 31,000 hectares of crop areas are inundated, the ASDMA said, adding authorities are running 94 relief camps in three districts, where 24,785 people have taken shelter.

In West Bengal, the overall flood situation in its six northern districts of Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur and Malda, improved as water levels of major rivers receded and there was no heavy rainfall.

With flood waters receding, bus services have resumed in many parts of the affected districts.

As there was no report of any fresh death since yesterday, the toll remained at 90, an official of the state disaster management department, adding the situation in some areas of Malda district, however, still remained a matter of concern.

Landslides triggered by incessant rains snapped road links in Manipur and Mizoram.

Almost 80-feet stretch of Imphal-Dimapur National Highway 39 at Makhan area in Senapati district of Manipur was damaged by a landslide stranding trucks bringing essential commodities from Nagaland and those heading towards Assam.

Also torrential rains caused flash floods in several parts of Imphal town and other low-lying areas.

At least seven buildings collapsed in Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, and nearby villages due to multiple landslides triggered by heavy rains since Thursday.

Many places of the state were cut off due to road blocks caused by landslides.