Flood situation grim in several parts of state; two killed

Relief operations in flood ravaged parts of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday picked up pace, even as the Ganga and Ghaghra rivers were flowing close to the danger mark posing threat to scores of villages along their bank.

Water level of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Sharda, Ghaghra, Rapti and Kuanon continue to rise at several places in the state, officials said.

Two persons lost their lives in Aligarh, where at least half-a-dozen villages in Khair and Gangiri Tehsils were in the grip of a serious flood threat since the past 48 hours.

Authorities have set up a Special Control Room for helping family members of those who are missing in the Uttarakhand floods and also flood victims in this district, reports reaching here said.

Relief efforts were also on in flood affected Bahraich, Farrukhabad, Barabanki and Lakhimpur districts of the state.

According to the Meteorological department, moderate to rather heavy rain/thundershowers occurred at few places over eastern UP.

Light rains and thundershowers also occurred at isolated places in the western parts of the state, the department said.

In Aligarh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Amit Pathak, who visited some of the flood affected villages, said," district authorities are working round the clock to help in the emergency evacuation of a large number of villagers which fall in the danger zone."

Chief amount of rainfall recorded in centimetres are Salempur 6, Bansgaon and Basti 5 each, Sultanpur, Gorakhpur, Mirzapur, Ghazipur 2 each, Met sources said.

They said that weather would remain dry over the state during the next 24 hours.

At Barabanki's Elgin bridge and Bahraich's Ghoor Devi the Ghaghra river was flowing above the danger mark though at Girjapuri it was receding bringing respite in Nanpara Tehsil.

Ghaghra waters was however rising at Mahsi and Kaiserganj, reports said, adding that 2.71 lakh cusec water has been released at Girjipuri, Gopia and Sharda barrages.

Flood companies of PAC were being assisted by flood division of the SSB, reports said.

A report from Farrukhabad said that release of water in the Ramganga has given a surge to the river while the Ganga river was almost touching the red mark following release of water in Narora on Tuesday.