14 lakh people reeling under flood fury in 15 block of Sitamarhi, flood claims 10 lives

Arun Lata Sharma

Sitamarhi : With water entering more villages, the flood condition further deteriorated in Sitamarhi district on July 16, 2019. The district administration confirmed the death of ten persons including children in the flood under different blocks in the district. The NDRF team has been searching for three villagers swept away in the flood when their tractor turned turtle in the flood waters on July 14, 2019, near Riga.
Almost the entire Sitamarhi district is reeling under the fury of around a dozen rivers including Bagmati, Lalbakeya, Adhwara Group, Lakhandei, Rato, Marar, and Hardi. Fifteen of the seventeen blocks of the district are affected by the  flood with 14 lakh people of 152 Panchayats facing devastation caused by it.
Several relief camps, shelter homes, and community kitchens are operational in the district. DM Dr. Ranjeet Kumar Singh, who visited several flood affected villages under Bajpatti and Choraut blocks on tractor and motorboats on July 16, 2019, said that situation is challenging for the administration but no stone would be left unturned to serve the masses particularly those  hungry and homeless.

The DM said that despite stern warning not to leave the places assigned to them, five officials were found absent from duty on July 15. Action against them will follow, the DM added. The officials include three Block Education Officers : Indra Shekhar,  Poonam Kumari and Indu Kumari, and Runnisaidpur Block MNREGA Project officers : Santosh Kumar and Gautam Prasad.

Meanwhile, the water of river Lakhandei river has entered Sitamarhi town due to seepage and mouse holes in the protecting ring Bund. Knee deep water is flowing on Sitamarhi Sadar hospital premises and near Rajendra Bhawan. Road connectivity to many block headquarters have been snapped and tTrains are not plying between Sitamarhi–Raxaul.