Flood situation worsens in Pilibhit; rivers overflow, highways submerged, villages marooned

Pilibhit (UP), Sep 3 (PTI) Incessant rains worsened the flood situation in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit district, where overflowing Deoha and Sharda rivers inundated Purunpur, Kalinagar and Bisalpur tehsils, damaging crops and disrupting traffic on key roads.

Dozens of villages have been marooned while several roads, including the ones connecting Pilibhit to Bareilly and Bisalpur, are under four to five feet of water.

The low-lying areas of the Pilibhit town, including about half a dozen wards, are surrounded by floodwaters. In the villages, farmers are staring at heavy losses as crops came under water.

The Tanakpur Highway has been closed for three days, while the Pilibhit-Majhola Road, Bareilly-Pilibhit Eidgah Road and Chandoi-Nauvku Road are also waterlogged. Police have set up barricades to restrict traffic movement.

District Magistrate Gyanendra Singh said community kitchens have been set up at primary schools in Sadar tehsil and other affected areas to provide food to flood victims.

"Out of 62 permanent and temporary cow shelters in the district, two have reported waterlogging. Relief teams with boats are delivering essential supplies to marooned villages, and the administration is on high alert," he said.

Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Sadar) Shraddha Singh said, "The administration is providing every possible help to affected people." Government officials have been forced to take shelter in hotels as water has entered their official residences.

Superintendent of Police Abhishek Yadav reviewed the waterlogging situation in the police lines area, while the district magistrate conducted a surprise inspection of the district flood control room. PTI CORR ABN NSD NSD