The widespread damage caused by the floods in Bihar has led United Nations to label it the "worst floods in living memory".
A World Bank team and experts from the US will visit the floods-affected areas on Saturday to discuss financial assistance and other help to rebuild the infrastructure.
The Army has pressed 18 columns and 17 more would be mobilised in two more days, taking the total number to 35, for carrying out relief and rescue operations in flood ravaged areas in north Bihar.General Commanding Officer of Eastern Command Lieutenant General H S Panag told newspersons that a total of 18 columns had already reached the flood affected areas and 17 more would reach by September 3, making it a total of 35.
The flood situation in Bihar remained grim on Thursday, contrary to the State government's officials claim that situation was improving. M I Khan reports.
The Ganga, which is in spate all along its course in the state, continues to pose a major threat to state capital Patna.
The flood situation has worsened in northern Bihar's Sitamarhi and Muzaffarpur districts as relief and rescue operations have been badly hit by continuous rains and rising water levels. The overflowing river has submerged several villages and many villagers have been forced to leave their homes to seek a safer shelter. Over two lakh people in nearly 200 villages have been affected, and the situation has been worsened by another embankment breach of Lakhendei River.
The swollen Bagmati River has breached its embankment in Bihar's Sitamarhi and Muzaffarpur districts, flooding hundreds of villages and forcing the villagers to take shelter at higher planes for safety.Official sources in Sitamarhi said on Saturday that the Bagmati River breached a dozen-feet stretch of the embankment at Tilakrajpur early on Saturday morning, inundating dozens of villages and affecting over 10,000 people. Some people were feared drowned.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday warned that Bihar's areas close to the borders (seemant) will become 'infested with infiltrators' if Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not voted back to power.
Darryl D' Monte, the distinguished enviromental journalist, discusses how the media covers floods in Mumbai or Texas, but ignores Assam or Bangladesh.
Central Water Commission sources said the situation continued to be grim following incessant rains in the catchment areas of these rivers.
The state government will seek technological help from the United States to plug the breaches in embankments and roads caused by floods.
Superintendent of police M A Siddiqui said minister of state for forest and environment, Ramji Rishdev's car fell into a ditch near Achra village when he was proceeding to Forbesganj to attend a programme by deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi.
A Central team will survey flood-affected areas of Bihar on Monday and Tuesday. The team will comprise the joint secretaries of six Union ministries -- home, agriculture, finance, health & rehabilitation, civil supplies & food and social welfare. The team will assess the damage and submit a report to the Prime Minister's Office by the end of this week.
The flood situation in Bihar continues grim with people climbing on rooftops of educational institutions for safety, even as such buildings are showing signs of collapse.
Over two million people in Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Saharsa, East Champaran, Supaul, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Patna, Katihar and Bhagalpur are reeling under the impact of the calamities
Several states of the country are battling grim flood situations that have affected lakhs of people and have also resulted in loss of life and property.
Bihar Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ashwani Choubey and his family, who were stranded in a temple in Kedarnath, have been rescued and brought to Dehradun by a helicopter on Thursday.
The flood situation in Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh showed signs of improvement on Sunday with most rivers receding even as heavy rains lashed parts of Goa, Rajasthan and Orissa.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted above-normal rainfall for the upcoming monsoon season in India (June to September). The cumulative rainfall is estimated to be 105 percent of the long-period average. The IMD has also ruled out the possibility of El Nino conditions during the entire season. The monsoon is crucial for India's agriculture sector, which supports the livelihood of a significant portion of the population and contributes substantially to the country's GDP. However, while the prediction of normal rainfall brings relief, climate change is expected to cause variations in rainfall distribution.
'We cried our hearts out as we saw our huts going underwater. It was hard to believe that I was fast asleep at the same spot just 15-20 minutes ago'
India is expected to experience hotter-than-usual temperatures from April to June, with more heatwave days in central and eastern India and the northwestern plains, the IMD said. Most parts of the country will see higher-than-normal maximum temperatures, except for some areas in western and eastern India where the temperatures are expected to be normal. Minimum temperatures will also be above normal in most regions. The IMD has warned that landslides could occur in parts of Kerala and Karnataka in the Western Ghats and that northeastern states might face flooding in April.
Working round-the-clock to help flood victims in Bihar, National Disaster Response Force personnel rendered timely help to three marooned pregnant women at separate places deliver their babies safely.
Locals, who were forced to evacuate their homes because fears of a flood, carried out a protest complaining of the lack of food, drinking water and plastic sheets at relief camps. MI Khan reports.
Locals, who were forced to evacuate their homes because fears of a flood, carried out a protest complaining of the lack of food, drinking water and plastic sheets at relief camps. MI Khan reports.
Even as Bihar continues its own rehabilitation after it was ravaged by floods, the state has offered Rs 10 crore for relief works for the flood-affected people in Jammu and Kashmir, besides supply of dry ration and boats.
Seven children have been killed by deadly kala azar (black fever) in flood-hit Bihar's Purnia district and dozens are suffering from it. Official sources in Purnia district administration told rediff.com on Saturday that seven children died in last 10 days in the Sadar hospital in Purnia town and several childrens affected by the disease have been admitted in the hospital.
The Indian Meteorological Department has issued a warning about havoc rainfall or a cloud burst hitting Bihar's flood-affected districts in the next 24 to 48 hours, officials said on Sunday.
Despite recent fatal stampedes at the Kumbh Mela and a Delhi railway station, pilgrims, driven by faith, continue to participate in the holy gathering in Prayagraj. Despite safety concerns, pilgrims from across India are undeterred by the tragedy and are taking the holy dip at the Triveni Sangam.
"I will get it investigated properly," Governor Buta Singh said, adding whoever is found guilty will be punished.
Here's a glimpse of flood situation across north and northeast India.
Workers engaged in removal of debris of the collapsed bridge found the body from the flood plain of Kauwakol block, the official said.
Heavy rain in the first week of July compensated for the shortfall but caused flooding in many northeastern states.
Yadav further accused the BJP of "using distractions" to avoid addressing real issues such as rising unemployment, inflation, lack of investment in Uttar Pradesh, and failing healthcare facilities.
The revised budget for 2024-25 shows a sharp rise in the allocations, particularly for major irrigation projects and the Namami Gange Mission-II.
The water level of major rivers, which rose menacingly affecting nearly five lakh hectares of land in 22 districts, also receded even as relief operations continued to provide succour to the marooned.
Overall profitability in the agriculture sector is expected to be marginally higher at the pan-India level in the 2024-25 kharif season, driven largely by higher production and low input cost, but offset by the declining price of some produce, according to a report released by Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd on Wednesday. The report said that region-wise farm profitability in the northern belt was expected to be relatively better than in the southern belt, while the eastern and western belts presented a mixed bag.
Among the cities that have fully implemented their projects are Agra, Varanasi, Madurai, Coimbatore, Udaipur, Pune, Surat, and Vadodara
Government officials believe that central bridge projects perform better than state projects due to stricter checks and balances.
