Bihar floods: Relief and rescue ops continue, PMC sprays chemicals in floodwater to keep diseases at bay

Rivers flow above danger mark

The Punpun river continued to flow above the danger mark with the threat of flood looming large on rural Patna district. Kumar conducted an aerial survey of rain-hit districts of Arwal, Jehanabad and Patna, caused by the swelling Punpun river, and reviewed the ground situation.

The Water Resources Department said Punpun river, which joins the Ganga about 25 kms downstream south of Patna, recorded this monsoon’s highest rainfall on Friday at 53.61 meters near Sripalpur in Patna which is 3.01 meters above the danger mark of 50.60 meters.

Rescue and relief

Locals have started commuting using tractors due to flooded streets. Heavy-duty pumps borrowed from Coal India Ltd, NTPC and Kalyanpur Cement were engaged in flushing out water rapidly from the worst affected localities like Rajendra Nagar, Kankar Bagh and Pataliputra Colony. The main road of Pataliputra colony has been cleared of waterlogging, though its lanes and bylanes have still knee-deep waters. Small pumps were in use for clearing water-logged narrow alleys and slums.

Disaster Management Department Principal Secretary Pratayaya Amrit said: “We are using 49 boats for relief and rescue operations. Two Air Force helicopters are airdropping food material, and three specialised pumps have been brought from Vilaspur to pump out accumulated water. Scores of other pumps are also being used.”

To prevent a health disaster, Patna Municipal Corporation has started spraying chemicals in floodwater to make the water odourless and destroy insects.

Patna Municipal Corporation spraying chemicals in floodwater. ( Source: ANI)

Stranded and trapped residents have been complaining about inadequate or at places no supply of drinking water and food packets. At Bahadurpur area of Rajinder Nagar, one of the worst-affected areas of the state capital, many residents of multi-storey buildings and apartment blocks were on Monday seen shouting from above, some even literally crying for drinking water supply.