The toll in floods in Bihar and Assam rose to 208, according to the state governments’ bulletin on Saturday.

Four people were killed in Bihar on Friday, taking the number of deaths to 127. This remained unchanged on Saturday. In Assam, six people died on Friday and Saturday, pushing up the toll to 81.

Bihar

The flood situation in Bihar continued to remain grim as 85.6 lakh people in 1,253 panchayats were affected on Saturday.

Sitamarhi and Madhubani were the worst-affected districts with 37 and 30 deaths reported respectively. As many as 111 blocks were affected by the floods, the state disaster management department said on Saturday.

The state government has set up running 885 community kitchens in the flood-hit areas, and 6,300 people have taken shelter in eight relief camps across the state.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reviewed the flood situation in north Bihar and the drought-like situation in other parts with Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and other cabinet colleagues on Saturday, PTI reported.

The chief minister also instructed district magistrates to assess the damage to property and crops in the flood-affected areas and assist in relief operations.

The state has been receiving above normal rainfall for the past few days. It was hit by floods earlier this month because of torrential rainfall in catchment areas of neighbouring Nepal.

Assam

In Assam, one person was killed on Saturday in Barpeta district, pushing up the toll to 81. Water re-entered Sonitpur district bordering Arunachal Pradesh, PTI reported.

On Friday, two deaths were reported from Baksa district, while one each was reported from Barpeta, Cachar and Biswanath, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority said in its report.

Around 21.68 lakh people from 1,716 villages in 56 revenue circles of the state were affected by the deluge. According to the authorities, 615 relief camps and 49 relief distribution centres were being operated in various flood-hit districts of the state.

The water level in rivers was still above the danger level in several parts of the state as of Saturday, including the Brahmaputra at Neamatighat in Jorhat and Dhubri, the Jia Bharali at NT Road Xing in Sonitpur, the Beki at Road Bridge in Barpeta and the Kushiara at Karimganj.

“We have received a message that neighbouring Bhutan will release excess water from its Kurichu dam once again,” District Disaster Management Authority of Barpeta, Nandita Dutta, told The Telegraph. “It is a cause of concern, but we are prepared to meet any eventuality.”

Adil Khan, the deputy commissioner of Bongaigaon, said that the flood situation has improved in the state. “The authorities have visited the affected areas to ensure that people get necessary help. Rehabilitation work has geared up,” Khan said. “We have received a message that about 1,000 cumecs will be released, but this much water can be easily absorbed if there is no excess rainfall.”

The External Affairs Ministry on Friday said that eight countries, including the United States, China and Russia, have shared satellite data with India on the country’s flood-hit regions to assist rescue and relief operation.