Rising water in the Ganga has forced hundreds of villagers by the banks to relocate. This is the first time in a decade that water has risen to the present level, causing concern among Patna residents.Authorities say the opening of the Indrapuri barrage in Sone river, a tributary of the Ganga, has caused the sudden rise. As many as 140 people have died in this year’s flood in the state so far. ELSEWHERE • MADHYA PRADESH: At least 15 people, including six children, have died and thousands left homeless in Madhya Pradesh as heavy rains flooded rivers, police said yesterday. Overflowing rivers had inundated several districts in the eastern part of the state, disrupting power, telecommunications and transport, forcing thousands to flee to higher ground. • Orissa: Areas close to the coast in Orissa’s deltaic plains experienced a fresh deluge since Tuesday as a huge volume of water raced down the Mahanadi even as the death toll in the continuing floods reached 59 on Wednesday. • UTTAR PRADESH: At least 12 people were killed and over 21,000 rendered homeless as the flood situation in Uttar Pradesh worsened with flood waters from several rivers, including Ganga, Ghaghra, Betwa, Mandakini and Ken, which are in spate, inundating large areas in Ballia, Chitrakoot, Banda and Hamirpur districts, officials said on Wednesday. — Agencies Heavy rains were reported in the catchment area of the Sone river in Madhya Pradesh. Otherwise too, October is the month when the Ganges carries the maximum water. Nearly six lakh cusec of water was released to the Sone today and over 7.5 lakh yesterday. On September 3, 7.42 lakh cusec was released.Seepage through embankments has submerged the low lying areas in Digha, Sadakat Ashram and Civil Courts. Hundreds of villagers on the northern side of the river have come to the south, and are camping in the collectorate compound with their livestock and belongings.‘‘The last time we vacated the village was in 1987. We noticed in the night that the river was rising and crossed over to this side. Initially, the officers stopped us from camping in the compound. Then (RJD chief) Laloo Prasad Yadav came and asked them to let us stay,’’ says Lalji Rai of Sambalpur Bengali Tola.District administration and Irrigation Department personnel are making efforts to prevent seepage through breaches of the embankment by piling up sand bags. ‘‘There is no threat to the city. Only the low-lying areas have been affected and we are taking preventive measures,’’ said Deepak Prasad, Patna District Magistrate.
