U.P. flood situation grim (Hindu 23 September 2010)

Moradabad worst-hit; 14 more killed
21,000 take shelter in 195 relief camps
LUCKNOW: The flood situation in the 12 districts of western Uttar Pradesh continued to be grim on Wednesday with Moradabad, which has been inundated by the Ramganga, being the worst affected even as the Ganga, Yamuna, Ramganga, Kosi and their tributaries showed a receding trend.
The situation in Barabanki, Bahraich, Gonda, Balrampur and Maharajganj districts of eastern U.P. was also serious with the Sharda, Ghaghra, Rapti and Burhi Rapti having inundated hundreds of villages.
About 90 people have perished in the floods in the State. (According to PTI, at least 14 persons have been killed in the past 24 hours in flood-affected districts of western U.P., taking the death toll due to rain-related incidents in the region to 270.)
An official spokesman blamed the devastating floods in western U.P. on the heavy rainfall in the neighbouring hill State of Uttarakhand and the water released from the dams. With the major western U.P. rivers, including the Ganga and the Yamuna, in spate, Bijnor, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Bareilly, Rampur, Budaun and Lakhimpur Kheri districts are reeling under the impact of the floods, he said.
Highway still closed
In Moradabad, flood waters of the Ramganga entered several localities where the water level reached 5 to 6 feet. The floods forced closure of National Highway 24. According to the spokesman, since the water level in the flood-hit town has started receding there is a possibility of NH 24 being gradually opened to traffic. About 60 motorboats and 267 boats have been pressed into service in Moradabad for rescuing the flood-hit population to safer areas. About 21,000 people have been taken to 195 relief camps and food packets were being dropped in the completely marooned villages by Air Force helicopters.
The devastating impact of the floods in western U.P. can be gauged from the fact that a total of 1,032 villages have been hit by the swirling waters of the Ramganga, Kosi, Ganga and Yamuna and the smaller rivers with 47 villages severely inundated and marooned. Over 4.73 lakh people have been hit and 8,515 houses have been damaged.
In eastern U.P., the mighty Ghaghra, Sharda and Rapti have left behind a trail of devastation. The situation in Lakhimpur Kheri and Bahraich districts has been compounded by the water released into the Sharda by the Banbasa barrage in Nepal and the heavy rainfall in the neighbouring country.
Bahraich district has borne the maximum impact with the Ghaghra inundating hundreds of villages, affecting a huge section of population.