Army, IAF help sought as situation worsens in Gorakhpur, Maharajganj
GORAKHPUR/ALLAHABAD: The administration sought help from Indian Air Force (IAF) and the army as the flood situation in Maharajganj and Gorakhpur districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh worsened on Friday with the water level in the Rapti crossing the danger mark. In all, the army’s assistance has been sought in six worst-hit districts.
The current spell of flood in Uttar Pradesh has claimed 36 lives with three more deaths reported since Thursday.
A PTI report said movement of traffic on the Gorakhpur-Sonauli road towards Nepal has come to a standstill with the waters of the Rohin river inundating Maniram township and the national highway.
The Gorakhpur district administration has ordered closure of all schools up to Class 12 till Saturday.
After the authorities undertook works to plug the breach in the embankment on the Rohini river in the Campierganj area in Gorakhpur two days ago to prevent water from entering the city, another breach was noticed on Friday morning leading to panic.
According to a Central Water Commission report, the Rapti at Balrampur, Bansi (Siddhartnagar), Rigauli and Birdghat (Gorakhpur), Budhi Rapti river at Kakrahi and Uska Bazar (Siddhartnagar), Rohin river at Trimohanighat (Maharajganj) and Quano at Chandradeep ghat (Gonda) were flowing above the red mark. The administration was trying to clear waterlogging from Zafar Colony in Gorakhpur and many affected villages near Sahjanwa.
With the help of 67 helicopters, food packets were distributed to people trapped in inundated villages of Gorakhpur.
Campierganj is the worst-affected tehsil in the district and 131 villages there are flooded.
Operating from the Gorakhpur airbase, three helicopters of the Indian Air Force (IAF) have made 58 sorties to provide relief to the flood affected people in eastern UP and Bihar. Twentythree tonnes of food packets have been dropped in various parts of UP and Bihar so far.
Owing to heavy rain on August 14, villages adjacent to the Gandak river got flooded. The IAF pilots ensured evacuation of 43 civilians from marooned village of Baithaulia north of Maharajganj
Thereafter, dropping of food packets commenced. The IAF helicopters carried out multiple sorties in Bettiah, Maharajganj and Kushinagar districts. After the aerial report by the Indian Air Force, rescue operations also started in Siddharthanagar district.
On Friday, the three helicopters took relief material to Siddharthanagar, Campierganj and Maniram (UP) and Bettiah in Bihar.
Regular operations would continue till water recedes from the area or normalcy is restored by the civil administration, said Gargi Malik Sinha, public relation officer (defence), Allahabad.