There was no let up in the overall flood situation in Bihar on Saturday with major rivers, including Burhi Gandak, Bagmati, Kosi and Gandak, maintaining rising trends, flowing above the danger level as the death toll in the recent spell of floods went up to 318.
Central Water Commission sources said the situation continued to be grim following incessant rains in the catchment areas of these rivers.
Water levels of all these rivers were increasing showing no signs of improvement in the situation in the next 48 hours, sources said.
The Baya river breached its embankment in a stretch of 10 mt in Vaishali inundating the vast countryside, sources said.
The Ganges was flowing 38 cm and 97 cm above the danger mark at Kahalgaon and Sahebganj, respectively, while the water level of Punpun was 203 cm above the danger level at Sripalpur, and Gandak was flowing 05 cm and 06 cm above the danger level at Khada and Chakia respectively.
Similarly, Burhi Gandak was flowing above the danger mark at Lalbigiha (122 cm), Sikandarpur (38 cm), Samastipur (84 cm), Rosera (89 cm) and Khagaria (22 cm) and Bagmati's water level was up the red mark by 76 cm and 102 cm at Benibad and Hayaghat, respectively.
Kamala Balan was flowing 65 cm above the danger level at Jhanjharpur and Kosi crossed the danger mark by 146 cm and 78 cm at Baltara and Kursela.
Besides, Mahananda was flowing 37 cm and 26 cm above the danger mark at Dengraghat and Jhawa, they said.
Seven more deaths were reported across Bihar due to floods during the past 24 hours, taking the toll in the current spell of floods to 318, state disaster management sources said.
The deaths were reported from Darbhanga (3), Muzaffarpur (2) and Khagaria (2).
According to figures available, Darbhanga accounted for 61 deaths followed by Samastipur (55), East Champaran (51), Muzaffarpur (49) and Khagaria (25).
Besides, 19 people lost their lives in Sitamarhi, 13 each in Bhagalpur and Begusarai, 10 in Saharsa, eight in Madhubani, five in Katihar, four each in West Champaran and Madhepura and one in Nalanda.
Around 154.01 lakh people were affected by floods in 7,847 villages spread over 207 blocks in 20 districts in the state, sources said.
They said standing crops in 12.4 lakh hectares worth over Rs 338.24 crore, and 1,77,728 private houses worth over Rs 174 crore have been destroyed in the floods.
Sources said authorities had so far distributed 1,77,586 quintal wheat, 59,105 quintals rice, 4.1 quintal grams, 46.65 quintal sattu, 970.84 quintal jaggery, 87,369 match boxes, 1,30,974 candles, 1,03,528 meter polythene sheets, besides Rs 13.75 crore in cash among the flood-hit victims.
Four Indian Air Force helicopters and 6,002 boats were engaged to carry out distribution of relief among the flood-hit people, sources said.
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