16 districts affected by floods in Uttar Pradesh

Sixteen districts have been affected by floods in Uttar Pradesh, and major rivers such as Sharda, Rapti and Saryu are flowing above the danger mark at some places, officials said on Tuesday.

River Sharda has crossed the red mark at Palia Kalan, Rapti at Bird Ghat in Gorakhpur, and Saryu was flowing above the danger level at Elgin Bridge (Barabanki), Ayodhya and Turtipaar (Gorakhpur), Relief Commissioner Sanjay Goel said.

Some areas of Maharajganj district have been hit by floodwaters, taking the number of districts affected in the state to 16, he said.

The other flood-affected districts are Ambedkarnagar, Ayodhya, Azamgarh, Bahraich, Balrampur, Barabanki, Basti, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Lakhimpur Kheri, Mau, Sant Kabirnagar, Siddharthnagar and Sitapur, Goel said.

A total of 777 villages have been hit, of which 282 are marooned, the official said.

The relief commissioner said a 25-metre breach was reported in the embankment on Choti Saryu in Azamgarh which has affected 15 villages and 550 hectare crop area.

The official said the population of these villages has, however, not been hit by floodwaters, and repair works were also going on and were likely to be completed soon.

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Relief work is underway in full swing with as many as 151 shelters being set up and ration kits and food packets distributed among the affected people, he said.

A total of 1,129 boats have been deployed in the affected area and 653 flood 'chowkis' are working round the clock to monitor the situation.

Besides medical teams, 16 teams of the NDRF, the SDRF and the PAC have been deployed.

"The chief minister has directed that relief works should be undertaken on a priority basis and no laxity should be tolerated in it," Goel said.

Directives have been issued to keep a watch on the release of water in barrages from Nepal and make preparations well in advance to deal with it, he added.

Senior officials have been asked to inspect embankments and bridges, Goel said, adding that so far all the embankments were safe and the situation was under control.

Meanwhile, a weather office release said light to moderate rain and thundershowers occurred at a few places in the state and heavy rainfall was observed in isolated areas.

It forecast rainfall and thundershowers at a few places in the state on Wednesday with heavy downpour in isolated areas.

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