By IANS,
Lucknow : Torrential rains across Uttar Pradesh have led to the swelling of several rivers, inundating fresh areas and affecting over 200,000 people, officials said Monday.
Saryu, Ghagra and Yamuna, flowing in spate, have inundated several villages in Faizabad, Bahraich and Barabanki districts of the state, officials said.
“In Bahraich, over 30 villages with a total population of over 200,000 have been affected by the Ghagra river, which is flowing above the danger mark,” additional district magistrate R. Prasad told IANS.
“According to the latest record, Ghagra was flowing 486 mm above the danger mark. We have already started evacuation in the worst affected villages, including Ghauri, Jalimnagar and Manjhara,” he added.
Likewise, the Saryu river in Faizabad was flowing 23 cm above the danger mark.
“With Saryu flowing above the danger mark, flood threat looms large over half-a-dozen villages with a total population of 3,000,” Faizabad additional district magistrate Vijay Bahadur told IANS.
According to officials, Ghagra in Barabanki was swelling at a rate of 8 cm an hour, officials said.
The rising water level has affected over 5000 villagers in the district, officials added.
In Lakhimpur district, increasing trend of the Ghagra river has heightened the worries of the authorities.
Even though the Yamuna has yet not crossed the danger mark, respective district administrations have put several villages in Agra and Mathura districts on high-alert, officials said.
Expecting the low-lying areas of Agra and Mathura to be flooded in the next two or three days, district authorities there are busy convening emergency meetings to counter the flood threat, officials added.