The Hindu : Central team to assess Bihar flood situation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 20, 2002

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Central team to assess Bihar flood situation

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI AUG. 19. The Centre will soon send a team to Bihar to assess the flood situation that has claimed several lives. No decision has been taken so far to send teams to drought-affected States that have demanded nearly Rs. 20,000 crores from the National Calamity Contingency Fund. The latest is a demand from Himachal Pradesh for an assistance of Rs.155 crores. There has been an overall improvement in the drought situation after the recent revival of the monsoon, although the damage to the kharif crop due to the failure of July rains would remain, the Agriculture Ministry said here today. Parts of western Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh are still facing some problems, though the situation has been contained somewhat.

After chairing a meeting of the Crop and Weather Watch Group, the Special Secretary in the Ministry, Hemendra Kumar, said the rainfall deficiency was now 24 per cent and the average reservoir position had also improved.

However, the Centre would wait another fortnight before it sends Central teams to various States to assess the crop damage. So far, joint secretary-level area officers have visited Karnataka, Haryana, Rajasthan, Orissa, Bihar and Tamil Nadu.

The rainfall forecast for the week between August 19 to 26 is for "fairly widespread rainfall'' in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, coastal Karnataka, Maharashtra, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and North-Eastern States.

Scattered rainfall is likely over the rest of the country except west Rajasthan, Rayalseema and Tamil Nadu where there will be isolated rainfall.

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