Bihar flood toll rises to 67; over 48 lakh affected

A total of 831 panchayats in 92 blocks were affected by flash floods caused by additional water discharge from Nepal.

Pratyaya Amrit, Principal Secretary of the Disaster Management Department, said, “About 1.15 lakh people have been living in relief camps. We are also running 1,116 community kitchens in flood-affected areas. Twenty-six teams of NDRF and SDRF have been in operation”.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had on Tuesday said that the government would compensate people for loss of crops and livestock. The CM had conducted aerial surveys of flood-affected areas on three days. He said while flash floods had inundated some parts of Bihar, several other districts might face drought because of inadequate rains.

The Opposition RJD, however, said that flood relief and rescue operations need to be scaled up. RJD spokesperson Bhai Birendra told The Indian Express, “What the government announced in the Assembly has not reached the ground. Twenty-six teams of NDRF and SDRF are grossly inadequate when over 48 lakh people are affected by floods. Thousands of people have not got basic food items like rice and jaggery. All the government’s claims are on paper.”

RJD leader and former CM Rabri Devi urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the floods as a national disaster.