Floods kill 200 in India

by Amitjha | September 22, 2008 at 10:13 pm | 68 views | add comment | 0 recommendations

After the wrath of kosi in Bihar, now the Uttar pradesh , most populous state of india is facing the flood. The death toll figure, compared to other part of world, clearly shows the failure of government in disaster preparedness.

Torrential rain across Uttar Pradesh led to the swelling of several rivers, inundating fresh areas and affecting over 200,000 people, officials said on Monday. Mathura, Agra and other cities along the Yamuna geared up to face floods as the water level in the river crossed the danger mark in New Delhi upstream.

In the eastern part of the state, Saryu and Ghagra rivers are in spate and have inundated several villages in Faizabad, Bahraich and Barabanki districts.

In Uttar Pradesh at least 100 people were killed since Saturday, as heavy monsoon rains caused rivers to burst their banks, sweeping away houses.

Uttar Pradesh is India's most populous state with 170 million people, and also one of the most flood-prone regions in the country. Heavy flooding kills hundreds every year in the state.

"Most of the deaths occurred on account of house collapses or trees crumbling," G.K. Tandon, a senior government official said.

About 50 people died in Himachal Pradesh when houses collapsed in heavy weekend rains, killing

those inside. Some victims were swept away by flood waters, an official said.

In Orissa, more than half a million people fled their homes when large parts of the state were flooded after authorities were forced to open sluice gates of a dam on the Mahanadi river due to heavy rains.

The rising waters of the Mahanadi and its tributaries broke through mud embankments and swamped hundreds of villages in the coastal region.

At least 29 people have been killed and 300,000 rescued so far, but officials said another half a million people were still marooned.

"Relief officials have not been able to reach many villages as the road links are cut off and boats cannot be used in the swift river current," G.V. Venugopala Sarma, a senior government official told Reuters. "It is quite a serious disaster."