ARA: Santosh Yadav , 35, a betel shop owner of Gausganj locality under the Town Police Station drowned in the flood waters on Saturday, increasing the death toll due to the flood caused by Ganga to 36.

The district has suffered extensive damage due to the flood. The farmers said seedlings and standing crops in thousands of hectare of land have been damaged and cattle swept away in the flood waters. Over six lakh flood-affected people in the northern part of Bhojpur district are clamouring for relief even as the officials claim that relief work was going on at full throttle. On the other hand, the Bhojpur disaster management department officials said that 10,313 quintals of wheat, 10,313 quintals of rice, 283 quintals of gram (chana), 1,320 quintals of flattened rice (chura), 169 quintals of jaggery (gud), 263 quintals of sattu, 66,166 pieces of match boxes, 7,500 liters of kerosene, 4,400 pieces of polythene sheets, 56,320 halogen tablets and 67,529 food packets had been distributed among the flood-affected people so far. Besides, five more hand pumps have been installed and 113 have been repaired.

About three quintal bleaching powder was sprinkled in the flood-affected villages, 2,238 cattle were treated at 10 veterinary centres and Rs 25.50 lakh, at the rate of Rs 1.50 lakh each, were given to the families of 17 persons who died in the flood. Altogether 5,200 persons have been shifted to embankments through 220 boats, the officials claimed.

Meanwhile, Lions Club International, Jean Paul's Senior Secondary School and Bhojpur Congress Committee distributed food packets at Shahpur and Bihia blocks and Chhotki Sanadiya and Baraki Sanadiya villages.

Buxar, Saraiya, Salempur, Barahara, Karnamepur, Bihia, Gaura road links with the district headquarters were restored, after 45 days, on Friday evening, as the flood water receded and the river Ganga is now flowing about one meter below the danger mark in Barahara. More than 150 km road under the rural development department have been badly damaged due to the floods. Assistant engineer (flood control), Bhojpur, Sudhir Kumar said a water resources department team from Patna would visit Mauzampur and Majhauli villages under the Barahara block on Monday to see the erosion there.

