M A I N   N E W S

Millions battle floods in five states

New Delhi, June 18
Millions of people across five states were today battling to cope with crippling floods that submerged houses and fields and threw road and rail services out of gear in some areas.

The picture everywhere was the same: People perched precariously on the rooftops of their huts, vast open fields under a sheet of water, roads and embankments being washed away by the swirling waters and trains stranded at railway stations.

Army out in West Bengal

While five persons have died, around 1.6 million people have been affected in West Bengal. Train services have been paralysed due to the ravaging waters.

A defence spokesman said one team each from 3 Madras Regiment and 6 Engineers Regiment were being sent to assist the district administration in relief and rescue operations in the severely affected Sabong, Narayangarh and Pingla areas of West Midnapore district.

Indian Air Force speedboats had been deployed to rescue marooned people in Belda, the spokesman said.

4 killed in Orissa

In Orissa, flash floods triggered by heavy rains in the past four days have hit about half a million people in four northern districts, submerged thousands of acres, snapped electricity supply and disrupted road and train services. Four persons have lost their lives due to floods in the state. The situation was likely to worsen in the state with rains continuing in the region and in the upper catchments areas, an official said.

All rivers in the state were in spate due to heavy rains caused by a depression in the Bay of Bengal and many of them were flowing above the danger level.

Army on alert in Jharkhand

In Jharkhand, torrential rains for the past three days have badly affected life in many parts of the state. Two persons have died in house collapses. The state government today asked the Army to remain on alert. Chief Minister Madhu Koda told reporters: “We have asked the Army to be on alert so that they can help whenever required.”

Thousands homeless in Assam

In Assam, thousands of people were still in relief camps even though the floodwaters were receding. The authorities also sounded a health alert to prevent an outbreak of any waterborne diseases. The Brahmaputra and its tributaries were still above the danger mark in some places although the trend was receding. The floods that began over the weekend left eight dead and displaced more than 4 lakh people in about 350 villages in the two districts of Lakhimpur and Sonitpur.

Flood threat in UP

In Uttar Pradesh, a flood alert was sounded today in over 30 districts, including Lakhimpur Kheri, Faizabad, Gonda and Bahraich, following incessant rains. Eighteen long-distance trains were cancelled, while several trains had been stranded at various stations due to water-logging of the tracks. — IANS