Unprecedented Flood Situation

Flood fury continued unabated in Uttar Pradesh, claiming 28 lives and displacing over 60,000 people in nine districts bordering Nepal till Sunday evening. As Rapti, Saryu and Ghaghra rivers continued to flow above the danger mark, the Centre upgraded its flood alert level, calling it an “unprecedented flood situation“. Around 1,500 villages in the state are inundated. While the Centre has rushed National Disaster Response Force teams, the state govern ment has called in the Army and Shahastra Seema Bal and cancelled the leaves of doctors. In Uttarakhand, the toll in rain-related deaths since Friday has risen to 24.
Over 3 lakh people were hit in UP's 1,500 villages. Bahraich was the worst hit with over 200 villages inundated by an overflowing Ghaghra river. The state government has announced Rs.1.5 lakh compensation for families of those killed.
While 14 persons died in Balha, Mihipurwa and Shivpur blocks of Nanpara and Mehsi tehsil of the district, many were reported missing. The Bahraich district administration had demanded two helicopters from the government but only one was provided. Besides Ghaghra, Saryu river in the district is also rising.
Bahraich DM Satyendra Singh said Saryu was in spate after 19 years. He said about 60 villages on the Indo-Nepal border were completely submerged. The water current was so fierce that a motorboat overturned on Saturday, killing a person. No rescue operation could be started there.
Rapti river created devastation in Balrampur and Shravasti districts after Nepal released 1.5 lakh cusecs water from the Banbasa dam. While seven deaths were reported in Lakhimpur, where a boat overturned, four deaths were reported from Sitapur. In Balrampur, Rapti was rising at a rate of 2 cm per hour, according to the Central Flood Forecasting Division. Vehicular traffic on Lalia-Balrampur and Lalia-Maharajganj terai roads has come to a standstill with highways under two to three feet of water. Water has entered a power house, the district collectorate and various community and primary health centres in rural areas.