The death toll in flash floods, which have affected about 15 lakh people in more than 2500 villages mostly in eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh, has risen to 214. According to reports received at the state headquarters, one death each has been reported in Deoria and Ambedkarnagar. Gorakhpur, Siddharthnagar, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Sant Kabirnagar and Azamgarh were some of the worst affected districts of eastern UP.
Around 352 of the 627 affected villages in Gorakhpur districts were completely marooned, the reports said, adding that more than three lakh people in Gorakhpur were trapped. Similarly, three lakh people of 522 villages in Siddharthnagar, about the same number of residents of 218 villages in Deoria and about two lakh in Azamgarh were affected due to floods.
The reports said Rapti, Rohini and Ghaghra rivers were stagnant. Mahesh Kumar Gupta, the district magistrate of Gorakhpur, said that there was a small breach in the embankment near the city, which had been repaired. Rapti, which was flowing over two mts above the red mark in Gorakhpur, was just ten cm below the record level of 1988, posing a threat to the embankments, he added.
Traffic on the highways - linking Gorakhpur to the state capital of Lucknow and Varanasi - remained suspended for the third day on Saturday. Rail traffic was also affected due to floods and water logging on the track in several parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Bureau Report