By IANS
Lucknow : With the death of seven people Tuesday, the toll on account of the devastating floods in Uttar Pradesh has risen to 167, officials said Wednesday.
“Five of the seven deaths occurred due to drowning while two people died in a house collapse Tuesday,” Relief Commissioner Umesh Sinha told IANS.
While a continued dry spell over the past few days had brought down the water levels of rivers that were in spate, the receding trend has put officials on the alert in at least 20 of the state’s 70 districts.
“We are geared up to tackle health problems that usually follow floods. Villages are being sanitised and essential medicines are being made available at all primary health centres,” Sinha said.
As many as 1,300 villages were inundated by floodwaters and about 200,000 people had to abandon their homes in search of safer places. Nearly two million people in the state were affected by this year’s monsoon fury.