Floods claim 53 more lives in Assam, Bihar, West Bengal

Patna/Guwahati/Kolkata: At least 53 more deaths were today reported from the deluge-battered areas of Assam, Bihar and West Bengal, where swirling floodwaters have paralysed normal life and marooned over 1.20 crore people.

The figure of flood casualties mounted to 98 in Bihar, with 26 more people losing their lives. The deluge has affected nearly 93 lakh people in 15 districts, forced postponement of examination and cancellation of trains, officials said.

The regional MeT office has forecast rain in southern Bihar for one more week.

The Health Department has launched a toll-free number -- 104 -- officials said, adding hospitals have been directed to maintain a sufficient stock of anti-snake and anti-rabies injections.

Araria district accounted for 20 deaths, followed by East Champaran (14), West Champaran (13), Madhepura (12), Sitamarhi (11), Kisanganj (8), Purnea (5), Madhubani (5), Darbhanga (4), Saharsa (3), Sheohar (2) and Supual (1), said Disaster Management Department Principal Secretary Pratyay Amrit.

Amrit said 3.59 lakh people have been shifted to safer places. Of them, 2.13 lakh were put up in 504 relief camps.

Food packets are being airdropped in inundated areas.

Where flood waters have receded, they are being supplied through panchayats.

Amrit said 114 boats of the National Disaster Response Force, 92 of the State Disaster Response Force and 70 of the Army have been deployed for relief and rescue works.

Principal Secretary, Road Construction, Amrit Lal Meena said 124 roads, including national highways, have been damaged due to floods.

Meanwhile, train services continued to be affected.

An East Central Railways statement said 39 trains were cancelled as water overtopped tracks. The cancelled trains included 12235 Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani, 12424 New Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani till August 20.

Floods claimed 17 more lives in six northern districts of West Bengal, even as the overall situation improved today, officials said.

Out of the 17 people, 15 drowned while two others died after they were bitten by snake, a senior disaster management department official said.

Forty-nine people have died in flood-related incidents in the districts of Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Coochbehar, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur and Malda since July 21, the official said.

As rains have abated, water has started receding and the situation has improved a lot, he said.

Ten more people died due to floods in Assam. Around 31 lakh people across 24 districts are bearing the brunt of the flooding.

The toll in the third wave of floods in the state has risen to 49. 133 people have died so far this year in flood- related incidents.

According to a report by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), three persons died in Dhubri, two in Morigaon and one each in Dhemaji, Sonitpur, Barpeta, South Salmara and Nagaon districts.

The ASDMA said 31.55 lakh people are affected at present in Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Sonitpur, Udalguri, Darrang, Nalbari, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Morigaon, Nagaon, Karbi Anglong, Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar and Dibrugarh districts.

Dhubri is the worst affected with 8.13 lakh people hit.

Around 5.30 lakh people have been affected in Morigaon.

Currently, 2,584 villages are under water. 1.67 lakh hectares of crop area has been damaged, the ASDMA said.

Authorities are running 602 relief camps and distribution centres in 21 districts, where 1,01,035 people are taking shelter.

The NDRF, SDRF and district administration personnel have evacuated nearly 3,500 people to safer places.