LUCKNOW: With four rivers flowing above the danger mark in the eastern Uttar Pradesh, the state government has pressed its relief agencies in full throttle. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath is on a two-day tour of six districts in the state to review the flood situation in the region. On Friday, he took an aerial review of Bahraich, Balrampur and Gonda and interacted with flood-affected people there.
Relief commissioner Ranveer Prasad said that four rivers in the state – Ghagra, Rapti, Saryu and Sharda -- were flowing above the danger and that nearly 1,123 villages in 18 districts are affected by floods.
While distributing relief material to the affected population on Friday, the CM said that the state government would pay Rs 4 lakh each to the families of those who died due to the floods. The amount will be paid to those who died due to drowning or attack by animals, he added.
He further said farmers or sharecroppers losing life in inundation will get Rs five lakh each under the Farmers' Accidental Insurance scheme. An assistance of Rs 95,000 will be given for houses damaged in the spate, he said, adding homes swayed away in the flood waters are being repaired under the Chief Minister Awas Yojana.
Stating that steps have been taken to ensure that no life is lost in the crisis, the relief commissioner said: “As many as 353 motorboats and 156 vehicles have been deployed in the search and rescue operations. The government has deployed around 5,811 boats and 1,001 medical teams while 1,131 flood relief camps, 1,321 flood posts and 1,200 animal relief camps have been set up.”
"The government is committed to providing relief and protecting every citizen at this time of crisis. We have allocated an adequate amount of funds, deployed sufficient boats and teams of NDRF, SDRF and PAC to carry out relief operations,” the CM said after his inspection in Bahraich where the Ghaghra river was flowing above the danger mark on Friday has thrown life of people out of gear.
After distributing ration kits to people in Gonda, the CM said: “Timely action by the way of channelizing rivers and dredging has paid dividends this year. The efforts have limited the extent of damage which can be gauged from the fact that a lesser area has been affected by floods this time.”
He added that the public representatives in the affected districts have been asked to support the local administration in rescue and relief work. In Balrampur, he informed the locals that release of water in Nepal and excessive rain had led to flooding in parts of the state.
He also advised people to stay alert against any kind of seasonal diseases as the floods leave behind a trail of infections. “In wake of this, the government has launched a special disease surveillance and prevention week starting September 5,” he said.
Prasad added that more than 1,07,608 dry ration kits have been distributed by the government so far, while 4,445 kits were distributed in the past 24 hours. The state government has distributed 4,21,834 lunch packets to affected people of which 7,686 lunch packets were distributed since Thursday.
“Over 66 teams, including those of the National Disaster Response Force, state disaster response force and PAC have been deployed in 42 districts. These teams are working round the clock to mitigate the impact of floods in affected villages. The government is also supplying drinking water, dry food packets, medicines, clothes, utensils and bedding to those who have been displaced due to the floods,” the spokesperson added.
On Saturday, the CM is scheduled to visit Siddharth Nagar, Gorakhpur and Maharajganj.
