NEW DELHI: Cyclone Komen is playing havoc in West Bengal with Manipur being the worst hit in the North East that is being devastated with the floods. The death toll is touching 200 and still rising.
At least 180 people have lost their lives and over 80 lakh people affected in fresh floods due to excessive rains in worst-affected Gujarat, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Odisha and Manipur.
In West Bengal, 69 deaths have been reported from various parts of the state during the floods owing to lightening, wall collapse, electrocution, snake bite and drowning.
Speaking to the The Citizen, the representative from the Department of Disaster Management of West Bengal said, “ We have set up 2200 relief camps for the about 3 lakh 63 thousand affected people. We have also set up cattle camps for the stray cattles. Health officials have ensured vaccination in order to control the outbreak of any kind of epidemic”
More than three lakh people are in shelter camps across 12 districts in the state. Farmland of over 21 lakh hectare has been submerged.
Sources claimed that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to visit the North 24 Parganas district later in the day. Banerjee has accused Jharkhand of releasing water along with the Damodar Valley Corporation from its dams, further worsening the situation.
Manipur is suffering from what people say are the worst floods in 200 years, in which an estimated one lakh people have been affected. Though the overall situation has improved, government is closely monitoring the situation after a rain alert by the weather department.
“ The National Disaster Relief Force(NDRF) have also arrived in the state. The Army has also been asked to join in for the relief measures in the state. We have arranged for 11 metric ton of fodder. There is a complete Disaster Management Kit that carries a complete package of food, medicines and other essentials have been distributed to the people affected in the floods”, further, the Representative of the West Bengal Department of Disaster Management added.
While capital Imphal has been cut off from Moreh on the Indo-Myanmar border and Jiribam on the Assam border, rescue teams are facing a tough time in carrying out operations in Joumol village in Chandel district, where 20 people died in a landslide on Saturday.
The Chakpi and other rivers in the area are flowing well over the danger mark.
In Odisha, almost five lakh people are in relief camps. The overall flood situation has improved and water in the three major rivers is receding.
There has been unceasing rains in parts of Jharkhand's Giridih and Chatra districts too, leading to inundation in low lying areas. Rivers in the district are flowing above or very close to the danger mark. The Jharkhand government said it is closely monitoring the situation.