New Delhi: Even as the country is battling with prolonged monsoon season–with September being the wettest in 108 years, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall in Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, which are already reeling with incessant rains and flood-like situation in over two dozen districts.
The highest rainfall in Bihar was recorded in Samastipur, Bhagalpur, Begusarai and Bhojpur districts in the last two days.
About 30 people have died in Bihar after incessant rains in the state left many parts, including state capital Patna, flooded. The weather office has warned of more rains in 24 districts of the state in the next 24 hours. Schools and colleges in Patna were closed until Tuesday.
The Bihar Government has urged the Indian Air Force (IAF) to provide two helicopters for airdropping food packets and medicines in the flood-affected areas of Patna, which continued to be among the worst affected cities with four-to six-feet-deep water-logging in several areas on Monday.
With water levels of rivers surging due to continuous downpour, Central Water Commission (CWC) said the swollen River Bagmati is likely to rise further at Dheng Bridge, Runisaidpur in Sitamarhi district and Benibad in Muzzafarpur district.
The River Ganga stayed swollen at Dighaghat, Gandhighat, Hathidah, Munger, Bhagalpur and Kahalgaon in Patna, Begusarai, Munger and Bhagalpur districts, respectively, due to previous floods.
With IMD predicting heavy rains over East Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh during the next 24 hours, floods in the Ganga could continue over the next two days. This could lead to additional contribution from both north and south bank tributaries for another three days.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held a high-level meeting on Sunday to review the situation in Bihar. The disaster management teams and the local administration are working together to contain damage.
“Even the weather department seems clueless, making different predictions at different points of time,” Kumar told the media. Altogether 19 teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in the flood-affected areas of Bihar.
The CWC said the situation is likely to continue for at least another 24 hours, and advised maximum vigil along the rivers as well as urban drains.
In Uttar Pradesh, at least 79 people have died since Thursday last week. According to a State Government report, 25 people died on Saturday, 18 lost their lives on Friday and 36 on Thursday.
In Gujarat, three women drowned after their car was swept away at a flooded causeway in Rajkot district on Sunday following heavy rains in several parts of Saurashtra region, officials said.
As many as 13 deaths were also reported on Saturday from Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in incidents due to rain-related reasons.
