Flood alert sounded in UP districts after rains in Nepal

Lucknow: A flood alert has been sounded in the Uttar Pradesh districts which border Nepal after rains pounded the Himalayan country in the past 48-hours, an official said on Wednesday.

Following the rains, the water levels in Saryu and Ghaghra have gone up in the past 24-hours, leading the state government to step up rescue and relief work.

Sources said Nepal was likely to release five lakh cusecs of water anytime, affecting districts like Shravasti, Bahraich, Faizabad and Barabanki.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has asked the chief secretary to personally monitor the situation and ensure there was no loss of lives owing to the impending floods and increasing water level in many rivers flowing through the state.

District magistrates in the flood prone areas were asked not to leave the district headquarters without the chief secretary`s permission.

The "Early Warning System" at Nanpura which forewarns of floods has sent out an alert in the border areas, an official informed IANS.

With a population of more than a lakh people in Shivpur and Balhar blocks of Bahraich, the district magistrate Abhay Singh said the administration was vigilant and taking all steps to evacuate people to safer places in case of floods.

District Magistrate Shravasti Nitish Kumar said more than 125 villages in the district faced the threat of floods.

Operations were underway to evacuate the people and cattle population to safe areas. With rains in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Nepal, the districts of Narayani, Rapti and Rohin were also in spate.