india

Updated: Oct 05, 2019 06:25 IST

The spectre of a flood looms large on rural Patna and adjoining areas with an alarming rise in water levels of Punpun river, understood to be a delayed fallout of the torrential rainfall that battered Bihar over the weekend killing at least 73 people, an official said on Thursday.

Plying of trains has been stopped as a precautionary measure on Punpun Bazar-Parsa and Biharsharif-Bena sections on account of inundation of a couple of bridges.

“Movement of trains on the two sections has been stopped since 4.30 pm. Six trains have been cancelled, four short-terminated while five others were running on diverted routes,” ECR Chief Public Relations Officer Rajesh Kumar said.

According to the Bihar water resources department, Punpun river which joins the Ganga about 25 kms downstream south of Patna, was flowing at 53.57 metres, far above the danger mark of 50.60 metres and just slightly below the highest level ever recorded - 53.91 metres in 1976.

Rural Patna district administration said water began gushing into several villages of Punpun block villagers to rush to safer places.

“Two teams of the State Disaster Response Force each comprising 15 personnel and equipped with four boats - have been dispatched to Punpun and Dhanarua blocks for rescue operations. The sub-divisional officer and block development officers concerned have been put on alert,” Patna District Magistrate Kumar Ravi said.

Meanwhile, officials in Patna said carcasses of more than 60 animals have been fished out of the stagnant water in the city’s inundated ares where bleaching powder and other medicines were being sprayed to prevent an outbreak of diseases.

Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi chaired a meeting attended by members of the cabinet and municipal officials to discuss the problem of inundation in Patna.

Officials said heavy duty pumps borrowed from Coal India, NTPC and Kalyanpur Cement were engaged in flushing out water rapidly from the worst affected localities like Rajendra Nagar, Kankar Bagh and Pataliputra Colony.

Small pumps were also in use for clearing water-logged narrow alleys and slums, they said.

Health department officials attending the meeting said medicines were being distributed at 22 primary health centres and 13 special camps set up after the water-logging.

Teams of doctors and paramedics equipped with drugs will be deployed at the major puja pandals where a heavy rush is expected during the upcoming Durga Puja festivities.

The state disaster management has so far confirmed 73 deaths on account of incidents like drowning, electrocution, house collapse and falling of trees that have occurred since the heavy rainfall that began on September 27 and continued till September 30.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had told reporters on Wednesday that accountability would be fixed and action taken for any laxity found on part of the administration once the situation was back to normal. PTI NAC NN NN