Flood Situation Worsens, But Bihar Also Faces Trouble With Helicopter Relief
Bihar floods worsen as a relief packet allegedly strikes a man during an aerial drop in Saran, while rescue operations intensify.
By Pranjal Gupta
New Delhi, October 3: As Bihar reels from severe flooding, relief packets are being air-dropped to people stranded in affected areas. However, one such packet allegedly struck and killed a 58-year-old man in Saran district during an aerial relief operation, officials said.
The incident took place around 3.30 pm on Friday near a relief camp in Parshurampur village under Amnour police station. The deceased was identified as Anil Kumar Singh, a resident of the same village.
Marhaura Sub-Divisional Police Officer Savindra Kumar Das said police were investigating the incident and had found that a relief packet dropped from a helicopter allegedly hit Singh on the head.
“Prima facie, it appears that around 3.30 pm on Friday, a relief material packet dropped by a helicopter allegedly hit a man on his head, causing his death,” Das said.
Police sent Singh’s body to a hospital for a post-mortem examination. Das said the exact cause of death would be established only after the autopsy report is received.
Amnour police station SHO Vimlesh Kumar said villagers had also alleged that Singh died after being struck by the relief packet. However, he said police did not find any visible injury marks on Singh’s head or other parts of his body.
Police also reported another incident involving a helicopter operating in the area. According to Kumar, a helicopter flying at a low altitude caused a tin shed to blow away. The shed hit a woman on her leg, causing minor injuries. The woman received treatment at a medical facility and is now fine, Kumar said.
Floodwaters spread across Saran
The incidents took place as floodwaters from the swollen Gandak River entered new areas of Saran district after breaches in embankments on Friday. The Central Water Commission (CWC) issued an ‘Orange’ bulletin, indicating a severe flood situation at 28 locations across several districts as water levels continued to rise in several rivers.
The CWC issues an Orange bulletin when a river rises above the danger mark but remains below its highest flood level. The Ganga was flowing above the danger mark at several locations, including Danapur, Gandhi Ghat, Hathidah, Dighaghat, Bankaghat, Mahnar, Kalyanpur, Kahalgaon and Sultanganj, according to the CWC bulletin.
At Danapur, the Ganga was flowing at 51.44 metres, 0.24 metre above the danger level. At Gandhi Ghat in Patna, the river stood at 49.69 metres, 1.09 metres above the danger mark. In Saran, floodwater passed through damaged embankments in Panapur and Maker blocks and entered several new areas, including Karchhaulia, Amnour, Jagdishpur, Maker and Parsa.
Gandak Remains Above Danger Mark
The Gandak remained above the danger mark at Dumariaghat, Lalganj and Rewaghat, although water levels were falling at all three locations. At Lalganj, the river was only 0.15 metre below its previous highest flood level. The Kosi was rising at Kursela, while its level was falling at Baltara. The Burhi Gandak at Khagaria and the Baya at Mohauddin Nagar were also rising.
Officials said the Gandak, Ganga, Kosi, Bagmati and Ghagra rivers were flowing above the danger mark at several locations following heavy rainfall in Nepal and Uttar Pradesh. The swollen Gandak has also increased pressure on embankments in Saran, Gopalganj, East and West Champaran, Vaishali, Supaul and Patna, among other districts. A senior Water Resources Department official said extremely high pressure was being exerted on both the left and right embankments at some locations.
Rescue Teams Deployed as Flooding Worsens
As floodwaters inundated more farmland, houses and roads in Saran, authorities stepped up rescue and relief operations. The Disaster Management Department said 12 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and seven teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) had been deployed in the district.
Additional teams were mobilised from Bettiah, Gopalganj, Bhagalpur, Supaul, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Samastipur and East Champaran as floodwaters spread to new areas.
Thousands of Relief Packets Air-Dropped
Authorities have also intensified aerial relief operations. More than 3,000 ration packets have already been dropped by Indian Air Force helicopters in flood-affected areas, while another 5,000 packets were expected to be air-dropped by the evening, the Disaster Management Department said.
The 12 NDRF teams, comprising 360 trained personnel, were operating with more than 50 boats. The SDRF teams had more than 140 trained personnel and over 36 boats, officials said. Relief supplies were also being sent to Saran from different parts of the state.
The district administration was monitoring the situation and coordinating relief distribution, rescue operations and the availability of essential services in the affected areas.
