Toll in Assam floods rises to 30, Bihar situation grim

Meanwhile, a team of ministers from the state, that met Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in New Delhi on Wednesday has sought a sum of Rs 200 crore for expediting relief operations and meeting the losses incurred to the people and the state.

The team led by state Transport Minister Pradip Hazarika was reportedly assured by the Prime Minister that a Central team would be soon despatched to assess the flood situation and damage.

Of the 16 districts of the state reeling under floods, Dhemaji in Upper Assam and Nalbari in Lower Assam have been said to be the worst sufferers, with both rail and road communication remaining cut off for more than a week now.

In Nalbari, the water level of the rivers were showing a receding trend since on Wednesday, but communication to the villages have remained affected with several rural roads and wooden bridges getting washed away. Nine persons have lost lives in the district since August 1, when the third wave of floods began.

The district of Dhubri and Jorhat on the other hand were facing the added problem of erosion, with several hundred acres of land being taken away by the Brahmaputra since the monsoon began.

Meanwhile, in Bihar, with six more deaths being reported from flood-hit Katihar, Sitamarhi and Saharsa districts, the death toll in the current spell of floods rose to 30, as the overall flood situation continued to be grim with major rivers in spate following torrential rains in their catchment areas last night.

According to official sources, three more deaths were reported from worst-hit Sitamarhi district and two others from Katihar, while another died in Saharsa due to floods since yesterday.

Army personnel continued relief and rescue operations in Sitamarhi district for the sixth consecutive day after turbulent Bagmati breached its left embankment, inundating fresh areas in Belsand and Sayedpur blocks.

State Relief and Rehabilitation department sources said Armymen with two helicopters and motorboats were assisting the district authorities in evacuating those marooned and distributing relief material.

Nearly three million people spread over 1,500 villages have been reeling under the current impact of floods in over 19 districts. The floods had so far damaged standing crops and property worth over Rs 20 crore, sources said.