11 more dead as flood fury engulfs 7 U.P. dists
A report from the relief commissioner’s office said 44,440 people residing in 82 villages of Shravasti district, 31,102 in 41 villages of Lakhimpur Kheri and 8,250 in 16 villages of Kushinagar had been affected by the floods.
Heavy rainfall in the foothills of the Himalyan range in Uttarakhand and the rise in the water level of the Gandak, Rapti and Sharda has led to flooding in seven districts of Uttar Pradesh, namely Gonda, Balrampur, Shravasti, Kushinagar, Shahjahanpur, Pilibhit and Lakhimpur Kheri.
At least 11 people died in the incidents of flooding, lightning, drowning and snake bites in Banda, Deoria, Ghazipur, Ballia, Azamgarh, Amroha, Sant Kabir Nagar, Balrampur and Basti districts in the last 24 hours.
Thousands affected
A report from the relief commissioner’s office said 44,440 people residing in 82 villages of Shravasti district, 31,102 in 41 villages of Lakhimpur Kheri and 8,250 in 16 villages of Kushinagar had been affected by the floods. Another 97 villages in Pilibhit,14 in Balrampur and three in Gonda were also flooded, it added.
NDRF, SDRF, PAC flood units and SSB teams were pressed into service in the seven flood-hit districts to carry out rescue and relief operations. People trapped in the flooded villages were relocated to shelters.
Rivers above danger levels
The Ganga was flowing above the danger level at Kachla Bridge in Budaun district, the Sharda at Palia Kala in Lakhimpur Kheri, the Rapti in Shravasti and Balrampur districts, the Budhi Rapti in Siddharth Nagar and River Kuwano in Gonda district.
The Saryu was flowing near the danger level in Bahraich district, the Ghaghra in Barabanki, the Rohin in Maharajganj and the Gandak in Kushinagar district.
On Sunday night, two lakh cusec water was released from the Banbasa barrage on River Sharda in Uttarakhand leading to an increase in the water level of the river in Lakhimpur Kheri and Pilibhit districts. Water was released from Valmiki Nagar barrage on the Gandak in Nepal leading to a sudden rise in the water level of the river in Kushinagar district.
Sharda gulps Pallia, Nighasan tehsils
Following excessive rains in the hilly areas of India and the neighbouring Nepal and subsequent discharge of waters from Banbasa barrage, Kheri rivers, mainly the Sharda, the Mohana, the Ghaghra and the Kaudiyala rivers, have caused immense floods in dozens of villages in Pallia, Nighasan, Gola, Lakhimpur and Dhaurahra tehsils.
Almost the entire border area of Pallia and Nighasan tehsils adjoining Nepal has been severely inundated by Sharda, Mohana and Kaudiyala rivers.
The overflowing Sharda, which reaches Kheri in Pallia from the adjoining Pilibhit district, on Monday inundated Govindnagar and Azadnagar villages besides flooding National Highway-731 that connects Bhira town to Pallia.
Alerted, Pallia police suspended traffic on the highway till Tuesday.
Pallia sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Kartikey Singh rushed to Govindnagar and Azadnagar and took part in the efforts to rescue the affected populace. He said the affected families were provided relief materials.
The Sharda, which passes through Gola and Lakhimpur tehsil areas from Pallia till it reaches the Sharda barrage, flooded over a dozen villages, including Srinagar, Sarva, Baragaon, Karsaur, Mudiya and Poojagaon, of these two tehsils. Gola SDM Vinod Kumar Gupta and Lakhimpur SDM AK Singh rushed to the affected villages and carried out rescue and relief operations.
Flood situation on the India-Nepal border, where Mohana, Kaudiyala and Ghaghra rivers are dominant, inundated scores of villages, crops and approach roads. Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and local police were on alert in these areas.
In Tikunia and Belrayan areas of the border, crops, lands and approach roads were submerged in the floodwaters, following which boats were arranged to carry the affected people to safety.
Meanwhile, Kheri DM Durga Shakti Nagpal urged the people of flood-prone areas to take shelter at safe places in view of the flood fury.
She instructed the SDMs and other officials to be on alert and provide all aid and assistance in the flood-affected areas.
70 villages under Gandak in Kushinagar
While heavy rain that had been pounding eastern Uttar Pradesh for the past three days abated on Monday, the flood fury continued in Kushinagar, Siddharth Nagar, Maharajganj and other districts as surging water touched the danger mark at many places.
The discharge of 4.4 lakh cubic water from Rapti Kusum barrage by neighbouring Nepal led to a sharp increase in water level in the Gandak that was flowing 22 cm above the danger mark inundating over 70 villages including Basant Pur, Narayan Pur and Harihar Pur in Kushinagar.
District magistrate Kushinagar Umesh Mishra on Sunday evening carried out an inspection of Amwa Khas embankment at the Gandak that had been eroded due to a rise in the water level. Mishra instructed SDM Rishabh Pundeer to shift people to safer places and start community kitchens for flood-affected people.
Executive engineer of Gandak Badh Khand Rupesh Khare said increasing trend of the Ghagra was continuing at Elgin Bridge where 40 cm increase in water had been registered in the last 24 hours.
In Ayodhya, the Saryu had touched the danger mark after a surge of 45 cm in the water level.
Similarly, the Rapti was flowing 50 cm above danger mark in Balrampur. Fury of Budhi Rapti had inundated 50 villages in Siddharth Nagar district.
(With inputs from Deo Kant Pandey & Abdur Rahman)
