Floods torment 1,000 villages in Bihar

PATNA, AUG. 6. The flood situation in Bihar continued to be alarming with rain-fed rivers wreaking havoc in 17 districts as Indian Air Force choppers airdropped relief material in the worst-hit Sitamarhi, Sheohar and Muzaffarpur districts for the second day today, officials said here.

Several major rivers, including the Ganga, Kamlabalan, Kosi and Bagmati are flowing above the danger level at a number of places, a Central Water Commission release said.

State relief department sources said over 15.7 lakh people in 1,015 villages in 64 administrative blocks of north Bihar were affected.

IAF choppers are also carrying out operations in Himachal Pradesh, Assam and parts of Bhutan.

Till Saturday evening, more than 300 people were evacuated to safe locations in Himachal and more than 48 tonnes of relief supplies airlifted, a Defence Ministry release said.

In Assam, 133 people have been airlifted so far, especially from Nalbari district while in Bihar, IAF helicopters operating from Patna evacuated seven people and carried 16 tonnes of relief supplies in Muzaffarpur and Sitamarhi districts.

Two Chetak and one Cheetah helicopter are engaged in operations in Bhutan on the request of the Bhutanese Government.

In Bihar, rail and road traffic were disrupted at different places in Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur and Madhubani districts.

Standing crops in 75,000 hectares worth over Rs 8.82 crores had been damaged by the floods which has so far claimed 19 lives in the State.

The flood-hit districts are East Champaran, West Champaran, Begusarai, Darbhanga, Saharsa, Sitamarhi, Araria, Muzaffarpur, Purnea, Supaul, Madhubani, Samastipur, Sahebganj, Madhepura, Saran, Vaishali and Sheohar.

Grim in Arunachal

In Arunachal Pradesh, the flood situation in the remote Dibang Valley turned grim with flood waters cutting off district headquarters Anini as a fresh death took the toll to seven.

The situation worsened with a rise in the levels of the Sisiri, Dibang, Sibya and Dotung rivers under the Dambuk circle of the district with the Bizari area the worst-hit with road communications totally snapped, official reports said.

The Forest Colony, Inspection Bunglow at Biscam and three teachers quarters were washed away with flood waters threatening to engulf a school building.

The fresh death was reported from Dambuk circle where a woman drowned as the Deopani and Ipipani rivers inundated large areas.

The Governor, Mr. Arvind Dave, accompanied by the Cooperation Minister, Mr. Kabang Borang, and the Development Commissioner, R.S. Sethi, made an aerial survey of the affected Upper Siang and East Siang districts on Saturday.

The Governor immediately ordered three special sorties from Pasighat to airlift essential commodities, which were in short supply at Yingkiong and Tuting.

Himachal seeks waiver

Himachal Pradesh has asked the Centre to waive the charges for IAF helicopters used for relief and rescue operation in the State.

The request was made to the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B Vajpayee by the State Chief Minister, Mr. Prem Kumar Dhumal, at a meeting in New Delhi last night, in view of the snapping of all road links to Kinnaur, which bore the brunt of the flash flood in Sutlej river.

Mr. Dhumal said the State would have to spend Rs. 60 crores per month on airlifting essential commodities to one lakh inhabitants of the district, and this would put an enormous financial burden on the State.

The Prime Minister was also shown a video cassette of the devastation caused by the Sutlej along the 350-km stretch from Khab on the Tibet border and downstream.

Mr. Dhumal said scientists were still probing from where such a huge mass of water had flowed into the river as no rainfall takes place in Tibet Plateau in this season.

West Bengal toll 10

The situation in five West Bengal districts was improving with water receding in all rivers, while the death toll rose to 10, according to the State Finance Minister, Mr. Asim Dasgupta.

After monitoring the situation at a meeting with the State Irrigation and Relief Secretaries and other officials, he told newsmen that not a single embankment had breached in north Bengal, adding that the Ganga was still flowing below the danger level at Farakka and Manikchak.

- PTI, UNI

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