Bihar Floods Kill 72, Over 140 Animals Dead in Assam Deluge
An estimated 73.44 lakh people have been affected by the floods so far.
Over 73 lakh people have been affected by the Bihar floods so far, and 72 lives have been claimed. Unconfirmed reports indicate the death toll is over 100. Some of the worst flood-hit areas are in Seemanchal, Koshi and the Mithilanchal regions.
The Bihar government has set up 504 relief camps in which over one lakh flood victims have taken shelter, an official said.
An official of the state disaster management department admitted that there were thousands more who have been displaced and were living under the open sky.
"Tents and polythene sheets have been distributed to some. But there is a shortage of both materials. Soon we will be able to provide both," said the official.
Bihar Disaster Management Department Principal Secretary Pratyaya Amrit said: "We have already speeded up relief and will be providing polythene sheets to flood victims... We are providing dry ration including rice, potato, pulse, black gram and match boxes."
Amrit said the government had decided to set up more relief camps and provide tents to ensure temporary shelter for the flood victims till they return to their homes.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has repeatedly directed the officials to speed up the rescue and relief work.
He has asked the Health Department to arrange for medicines and insecticides like DDT sprays to check the outbreak of diseases once the flood water subsided.
The government has deployed four Army teams besides 22 NDRF and 15 SDRF teams in relief and rescue operations. Leaves of doctors and health department officials stand cancelled in the affected districts.
Over 140 Animals Dead in Assam's Kaziranga National Park
The second wave of floods in Assam has inundated 80 per cent of the 481 sq km area of the famed Kaziranga National Park and claimed the lives of over 140 animals, including seven rhinos.
Since August 10, seven rhinos, 122 swamp deer, two elephants, three wild boars, two hog deer, three sambhar deer, one buffalo and one porcupine died, KNP Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Rohini Ballav Saikia said on Thursday.
"Carcasses are being recovered daily," the official said.
Out of the seven dead rhinos, six drowned while the other died of natural causes.
The flood situation in Assam remained very critical as 10 more people lost their lives while 31.55 lakh are still affected in 24 districts of the state.
With these deaths, the toll in the latest wave of floods in the state rose to 49. The overall death figure in this year's flood in Assam is 133.
According to Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), three people died during the day in Dhubri, two in Morigaon and one each in Dhemaji, Sonitpur, Barpeta, South Salmara and Nagaon districts, even as the number of affected people came down against yesterday's 33.5 lakh across 24 districts.
(With inputs from PTI and IANS)
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