Nearly 3,500 lives lost in floods in 2008: Report

Nearly 3,500 people have lost their lives in the country this year due to floods which also damaged over 20 lakh houses and led to the deaths of 45,000 cattle.

Nearly 3,500 people have lost their lives in the country this year due to floods which also damaged over 20 lakh houses and led to the deaths of 45,000 cattle.

The state which saw highest number of deaths due to floods in 2008 was Uttar Pradesh with 1,210 losing their lives. Bihar was second with 524 deaths, followed by West Bengal with 288, a Home Ministry report said.

Over 35.18 lakh hectares of cultivable land have also been damaged due to floods in 21 states and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

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The states which were not affected due to floods this year are Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.

“In floods in various parts of the country, a total of 3402 people were killed. 43,383 cattle were lost and 20,52, 763 houses were damaged,” a Home Ministry official said.

In terms of cultivable land affected due to floods, Tamil Nadu topped the list with 5.97 lakh hectare being affected due to floods this year.

It was followed by Uttar Pradesh with 4.98 lakh hectares and Orissa with 4.45 lakh hectares.