Floods claimed two more lives in Bihar on Saturday taking the death toll to 13, while the number of people affected by the calamity inched closer to 50 lakh as the waters of overflowing rivers reached fresh areas of the State’s northern part.
According to the bulletin issued by the State disaster management department, two fresh casualties were reported from Muzaffarpur district. Earlier, Darbhanga and West Champaran had reported seven and four deaths respectively.
The number of people affected by the floods, across 14 districts, stood at 49.05 lakh, up from 45.39 lakh on Friday. The number of affected panchayats too has risen to 1,043 from 1,012 on the previous day.
According to the department, the State has received average rainfall of 768.5 mm. This has led to a rise in water levels of most rivers flowing through the State. More than a quarter of the affected populace resides in the three adjoining districts of East Champaran, Gopalganj and Saran, all of which fall in the Gandak basin. Other rivers which have been flowing above the danger levels at various places include Kosi, Budhi Gandak, Kamla, Bagmati and Adhwara.
