Floodwaters continue to play havoc in Bihar

Biharsharif/Chhapra/Begusarai: Floodwaters continued to play havoc in different parts of the state for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday.
With rivers like Falgu, Lokain, Panchaney, Soondh and Bhutahi crossing the red mark in Nalanda district, dozens of villages have been marooned in Ekangarsarai, Hilsa and Karaiparsurai blocks, destroying standing crops worth crores and forcing hundreds of villagers to spend nights on roads and makeshift camps with their cattle.
Traffic between Biharsharif-Ekangarsarai-Jehanabad on NH-110, Biharsharif-Patna on NH-31 and Biharsharif-Daniawan-Patna on NH 30 have been snapped. Biharsharif, the district headquarters of Nalanda, has been surrounded by flood waters on three sides.
Above three-feet water on NH-110 near Chilkapar in Ekangarsarai block forced the district administration to stop traffic between Ekangarsarai and Jehanabad since Tuesday.
The fresh spate in Bhutahi and Soondh in the block has again inundated several villages, including Milki, Pulpar, Kanjaspur, Akauna and Farkusarai, on Wednesday after receding from there on Monday. The overflowing Lokain has inundated villages like Sardar Bigha, Balwapar, Surat Bigha, Shah Bagicha etc in Hilsa block. Hilsa BDO Ajay Kumar said strict vigil was being kept on the situation.
In Saran district, the swollen Ganga has inundated some fresh places since Tuesday night.
Water has entered the power substation at Dighwara, affecting power supply in more than a dozen villages under Dighwara, Dariapur and Garkha blocks. NH-19 from Hazipur to Gazipur (UP) and NH-85 connecting Chhapra with Siwan are still not motorable.
Saran DM Deepak Anand said it may take two or three days to restore traffic on different NHs.
In Begusarai district, local organizations, schools, businessmen and people have come together to help the flood victims. On Wednesday, students of at least two private schools distributed relief materials among the flood victims of some villages under the Matihani and Bachhwara blocks after collecting them from people.
A group of professionals hailing from the district and working across the country have also joined relief work.
The group includes Prem Prakash, director, ministry of defence, Ranjit Kumar Singh, under secretary at ministry of home affairs, Vikas Vaibhav, an IPS officer posted as AIG (training) at the Bihar police headquarters, and Dipak Kumar, another IPS officer currently posted as Muzaffarnagar SSP in UP, besides some senior Delhi-based lawyers and a Kolkata-based industrialist.
Niraj Kumar, who coordinates the group's work, said, "To begin with, the group decided to make available some necessary drugs to the flood-hit with the help of local IMA." Anti-snake bite venom is also being arranged.
The group has also roped in an international club to supply 4,000 relief kits, containing five kgs each of flour and rice besides pulses, tarpaulins, blankets, torches and other necessary materials.