Unexpected Rains Hit Life in Bihar; 13 Killed
PATNA: At least 13 people have died after buildings collapsed and trees fell on them due to incessant rain in Patna, Bhagalpur and Kaimur districts of Bihar. The three districts are among over a dozen in the state that were lashed by incessant rain for close to 48 hours, bringing normal life to a grinding halt and disrupting rail and road traffic in most places.
Three teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in the city and more rescue teams are expected to reach later in the day. Boats are out on roads for rescue operations.
13 people have died in Bihar, including four in Patna, as heavy rain caused flooding in several districts in the last three days.
Several state-run hospitals including the Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, which is one of the largest in Patna, are flooded. Videos shared on social media showed patients sitting on beds in flooded hospital rooms. To evacuate people, 32 boats have been pressed into service in flooded parts of the city.
Flooding on roads led to huge traffic jams while heavy rain also disrupted rail traffic, leading to train cancellations and delays in the last three days. In several parts of the city, residents have complained that there’s no power supply since the last two days.
A red alert, indicating likelihood of “heavy to very heavy rainfall”, has been issued for Patna and other districts. The weather office has predicted heavy rainfall for the state capital till September 30.
According to weather department, the state capital has received more than 200mm rainfall since Friday evening, which was described by Principal Secretary, Disaster Management department, Pratyay Amrit as “totally unexpected”.He also expressed concern over water having entered many power sub-stations which could affect the functioning of sump houses in the long run.
The train services on the Ballia-Chhapra section of the North Eastern Railway (NER) was also disrupted due to heavy rain. “Owing to heavy rain at around 4.15 am, we got information about deposition of mud on the tracks on the Chhapra-Ballia section. This has disrupted rail traffic on the route,” Public Relations Officer, NER, Mahesh Gupta said. He said a number of trains on this section has been cancelled, while the long-distance trains are moving on the Chhapra-Bhatni-Mau route.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, emerging from a video conference with district magistrates, told reporters, “We are making all possible efforts. I would appeal to the people of the state to have patience and courage.
According to Bhagalpur District Magistrate Pranav Kumar, three people died when the boundary wall of a temple collapsed in Barari police station area while as many people were buried alive when a house caved in at Khanjarpur area. In Danapur, on the outskirts of Patna, a one-year-old girl and three women died when a tree fell on an autorickshaw carrying them.
Three deaths were reported from Bhabhua, the district headquarters of Kaimur, where continuous rain led to the collapse of two mud houses. A bird’s eye view of Patna made the city appear like a huge lake dotted with structures of concrete while low-lying areas like Rajendra Nagar and Pataliputra Colony — home to many prominent citizens, private hospitals and medical stores and situated several kilometres apart — were submerged in waist-deep water.
“It was unexpected. The weather department had last week predicted heavy rainfall for many parts of Bihar but not Patna. We are trying our best to rescue people from inundated areas with the help of NDRF and SDRF. The sump houses are working overtime. However, water entering power sub-stations poses a challenge,” Amrit said.
“In the event of water entering a sub-station, power has to be disconnected to avoid major casualties. The sump houses then become dependent on diesel. But the availability of fuel is finite and if heavy rainfall persists, pumping out water from inundated streets could be hampered drastically,” he said.
Meanwhile, the East Central Railway headquartered in Hajipur said that close to 30 trains have been cancelled and many others short-terminated or operated through alternative routes on account of the flooding of Patna and Danapur junctions and many other smaller stations.
Actor Manoj Bajpayee, who is from Bihar, expressed concern on Twitter over the situation in his home state. “Reports of heavy rainfall and flood like situation coming in from Patna hope all of you are safe!!!” he wrote this morning.
(With Agency Inputs).
