River of Sorrow engulfs new areas, Navy to join operations

The water from Kosi, the river that has changed course, has drowned more areas on Saturday with heavy rains in Nepal and Madhepura and Saharsa in Bihar.

The water from Kosi, the river that has changed course, has drowned more areas on Saturday with heavy rains in Nepal and Madhepura and Saharsa in Bihar.

The tormenting river, now running through Supual, Araria, Saharsa, Madhepura, Purnea, Katihar, Khagaria and Bhagalpur, has already affected an estimated 25 lakh people.

Relief work has been hit after the Madhepura-Supaul road was flooded near Singheswar. An 85-member Navy is likely to reach Purnea late this evening to join the rescue operations.

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Rains that lashed Saharsa

in the last 48 hours are threatening to flood the link road to the town from Maheshkhut. Saharsa-Purnea route has already been closed.

Additional Disaster Management Commissioner Pratyay Amrit said: “With heavy rains near Birpur in Nepal, the breach point released 1.6 lakh cusecs of water as against average 1.4 lakh for the last few days after the breach.”

The government is struggling to evacuate people from Gwalpada, Kumarkhand and Murliganj in Madhepura, Basantpur and Pratapganj in Supaul. Over 3 lakh people have been so far evacuated from flood-hit districts.

Madhepura town has also seen slight increase in water level but shopkeepers and residents are still holding out as the situation is still not alarming. While the government puts the casualty figure at 35, unofficial figures have put it beyond 100.

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Amrit said the government had been getting three more Army teams by Saturday tonight. Meanwhile, several voluntary groups today met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna to discuss flood relief.