UP floods unprecedented unabated fury

Mangalore Today News Network

Lucknow/New Delhi, Aug 18, 2014: The grim flood fury continued unabated in Uttar Pradesh claiming 28 lives and displacing over 60,000 people in nine districts bordering Nepal till Aug 17, evening. As Rapti, Saryu and Ghaghra rivers continue to flow above the danger mark, the Centre  upgraded its flood alert level, calling it an "unprecedented flood situation".

Around 1,500 villages in the state are inundated. While the Centre has rushed National Disaster Response Force teams, the state government has called in the Army and Shahastra Seema Bal and cancelled the leave of doctors. In Uttarakhand, the toll in rain-related deaths since Friday has risen to 24. In UP, floods have affected lives of over 3 lakh people in 1,500 villages in Bahrach, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sitapur, Barabanki, Balrampur, Shravasti, Gonda, Faizabad and Siddhartha Nagar districts.

Bahraich was worst hit with over 200 villages inundated by an overflowing Ghaghra river. The state government has announced a Rs 1.5 lakh compensation for families of those killed. In Bahraich, 14 persons died in Balha, Mihipurwa and Shivpur blocks of Nanpara and Mehsi tehsil while many were reported to be missing. The Bahraich district administration had demanded two helicopters from the government but only one was provided. Besides Ghaghra, Saryu river in the district is also rising. Bahraich DM Satyendra Singh said Saryu was in spate after 19 years. He said about 60 villages on the Indo-Nepal border were completely submerged. The water current was so fierce that a motorboat overturned on Saturday, killing a person. No rescue operation could begin there.

Rapti river created devastation in Balrampur and Shravasti districts after Nepal released 1.5 lakh cusec water from the Banbasa dam. While seven deaths were reported in Lakhimpur, where a boat overturned, four deaths were reported from Sitapur. The hopes are only the God’s  now it seems.