Bihar flood toll rises to 156, rescue mission on

With three more deaths, the toll in Bihar floods yesterday increased to 156 with the swollen Ganga affecting 37.21 lakh people in 12 districts of the state.

The three deaths have been reported from Samastipur district, a release by the Disaster Management Department said.

The flood has been caused by a spate in Ganga, Sone, Punpun, Burhi Gandak, Ghaghra, Kosi and other rivers and has affected 37.21 lakh people in 2,024 villages under 569 panchayats in 12 districts of the state, it said.

The Ganga is flowing above the danger mark at seven places - Digha Ghat, Gandhi Ghat, Hathidah in Patna, Bhagalpur and Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district, besides in Munger and Buxar districts.

A total 5.56 lakh people have been evacuated so far from the 12 flood-affected districts of Buxar, Bhojpur, Patna, Vaishali, Saran, Begusarai, Samastipur, Lakhisarai, Khagaria, Munger, Bhagalpur and Katihar, the release said.

The government is plying on 2,821 boats for evacuation and national, and state disaster response forces have already been deployed in the affected districts.

A total of 598 relief camps is being run in the flood-hit areas in which 3.03 lakh people have taken shelter.

Medical services are being provided in the camps by 383 teams, the release said.