Bihar rain: Punpun river water level starts receding

The water level in Punpun river which was flowing 3.01 metres above the danger mark in Bihar has started receding, a Water Resources Department bulletin said Saturday.

The water level of the Ganga has also come below the danger mark at Digha ghat here bringing much-needed respite for the people of Patna and its adjoining areas from the threats of flood.

The river had recorded this monsoon's highest rainfall on Friday, taking water level to 53.61 metres near Sripalpur, which is 3.01 metres above the danger mark, it said.

The water level of Punpun was barely a few centimetres less than its highest level of 53.91 metres that it touched in 1976, the bulletin said.

The receding water of the Punpun river has, however, entered several areas of rural Patna before it started receding.

Around 73,000 people living in 53 villages of six blocks - Punpun, Dhanarua, Paliganj, Sampatchak, Naubatpur and Phulwarisharif - of Patna district have been affected by the increase in the water level of Punpun river, a Disaster Management Department's release said.

NDRF and SDRF teams were pressed into service to carry out relief and rescue operations, and 41 community kitchens have been set up to feed the affected population.

Punpun river was flowing above 3.01 m above the danger mark on Friday evening and is showing a 'falling' trend at the rate of one cm per hour recording 53.55 m at Sripalpur in Patna district at 9 am on Saturday, it said.

The water level of the river has receded by six cm since Friday evening and the toll in the state due to the floods remained at 73.

The water level of the Ganga is also witnessing a 'falling' trend, though it is slightly above the danger mark both at Digha and Gandhi ghats in Patna, the bulletin said.

In the state capital, heavy-duty pumps were engaged in flushing out water from the worst-affected localities such as Rajendra Nagar, Kankar Bagh and Pataliputra Colony.

Small pumps are being used for clearing water-logged alleys and slums and the health department has taken measures to assist people in such areas, a senior health official said.

Medical camps have been set up at 29 puja marquees in Patna. This apart 12 medical teams have been formed by district administration which are visiting different areas and treating people, an official release said.

Seventeen teams have been formed for sprinkling bleaching powder in different parts of the city.

Bleaching powder will be distributed among people affected by the rain from Saturday, the release said.

To check the spread of an epidemic, 12 e-rickshaw teams are spreading awareness about precautions among the affected people, it added.