Two dead, 22 lakh hit by floods in West Bengal
The Hindu
Several areas of Howrah, Hooghly, Paschim Medinipur, Paschim Bardhaman and Birbhum have been affected
Two persons, including a child, have died and over 22 lakh people have been affected by floods in West Bengal, the State’s Chief Secretary said on Friday.
Speaking to journalists at the State Secretariat Nabanna Buildings, West Bengal Chief Secretary H.K. Dwivedi said that the flood situation had become serious because of discharge of water from the reservoir of two river systems, the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) on the Damodar river, and the Sikatiya Barrage on the Ajay river. Mr. Dwivedi said preliminary estimates suggested that over 1 lakh houses had been damaged, and 2 lakh people had taken shelter in about 1,500 camps in south Bengal. About 4 lakh people have been evacuated in these areas.