According to disaster management officials, 19 relief camps have been set up. (File)
Patna:
Flood situation remained grim in Bihar as waters from overflowing rivers, mostly those originating in Nepal, inundated more areas leaving 55 lakh plus residents of over a thousand villages affected.
According to a bulletin issued by the disaster management department, no new deaths have been reported from the 14 flood-hit northern districts and the death count stands at 13.
The number of affected people grew by more than two lakh since the previous day and reached 56.53 lakh. The number of distressed panchayats has risen to 1,082 from 1,059 on Sunday.
Darbhanga has been the worst hit, being surrounded by three of the rivers in spate Bagmati, Kamala Balan and Adhwara.
The district has accounted for seven casualties and 16.89 lakh of its residents, spread across 196 panchayats, have been hit by the floods.
Other districts hit by the floods are Sitamarhi, Supaul, Sheohar, Kishanganj, Saran, Gopalganj, East Champaran, Khagaria, Samastipur, Siwan and Madhubani.
Till date, 4.18 lakh people have been evacuated by personnel involved in relief and rescue operations, for which 23 teams of the NDRF and some of the SDRF have been pressed into service.
“Our men are conducting recce in all the 14 districts and so far they have rescued more than 10,700 people”, Vijay Sinha, commandant of 9th Battalion of NDRF stationed at Bihta near Patna said.
According to the disaster management department, 19 relief camps have been set up in four districts Gopalganj, East Champaran, Khagaria and Samastipur. Altogether, 17,554 people are at present taking shelter.
Addressing the state assembly earlier in the day, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that more relief camps would be set up if the need arose.
More than nine lakh people are being provided with food at 1,358 community kitchens set up for flood victims, the disaster management department said.
