The Indian Meteorological Department on Tuesday warned that heavy to very heavy rain was likely to hit Bihar, Jharkhand and Gangetic West Bengal in the next two days. PTI reported that the flooding in Bihar had claimed the lives of six more people on Monday, taking the toll to 204.
The region is just beginning to recover from the devastating flood that, according to the Disaster Management Department, affected around 40 lakh people in 2,189 villages. The inundation has been attributed to the swelling of the Gangetic river system, where River Ganga and its tributaries including Sone, Burhi Gandak, Ghaghra and the Kosi, rose much above the normal levels.
The showers lowered the temperature and caused water-logging in the state capital. Weather department officials measured 85.9 mm rainfall in Patna during the past 24 hours, PTI reported.
According to the news agency, around seven lakh people have been evacuated so far from the 12 flood-affected districts. Relief operations include the deployment of 2,973 boats to rescue affected people. National and state disaster response forces are also conducting major relief work in the area. Officials said 652 camps are catering to around 1.98 lakh victims and 589 medical teams are on duty.
Scroll.in had reported that the construction of a dam on the Ganga, with the Farakka barrage project in 1975, had disrupted Eastern India's drainage system. The dam was considered a doomed project even before it began. Kapil Bhattacharya, who was the West Bengal government’s chief engineer at the time, had voiced his concerns about the project. Bhattacharya had said that the Hooghly was not silting because of sedimentation carried from the Himalayas by the Ganga, but because of the dams on the Damodar and Rupnarayan rivers.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!