Lucknow, Sep 19 (IANS): As the flood situation has worsened in eastern Uttar Pradesh following incessant rains since the past one week, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed all District Magistrates of the affected districts to speed up relief and rescue operations within the next 12 hours.
Five districts of Uttar Pradesh are facing flood-like situation after continuous rise of water level in the Ganga, Yamuna, Betwa, Chambal, Ghagra and Sharda rivers.
The affected districts are Ballia, Ghazipur, Auraiyya, Jalaun and Hamirpur. Varanasi and Allahabad were also witnessing water logging.
Residents in low-lying areas in and around Prayagraj city have said that they were suffering hardships due to flooding caused by the continuous rise of water level of Ganga and Yamuna rivers.
According to the latest report by the flood control unit of the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department, Yamuna is flowing at 2.82 metres above the danger level in Auraiyya district and 2.31 metres above the danger level in Kalpi area of Jalaun district. The river is 1.7 metres above the danger mark in Hamirpur district of Bundelkhand region.
Ballia District Magistrate Bhawani Singh Khangarot said: "About seven villages with a population of 15,000 have directly been affected. The Ganga is rising at the rate of 1 cm per hour. The affected villagers have been evacuated. A National Disaster Response Force team has arrived and so are two platoons from the flood unit."
Parts of the Bundelkhand region such as Kalpi in Jalaun and Hamirpur are also witnessing a rise in the water level of the Yamuna.
Adityanath has asked district officials to arrange for fodder for cattle and put all physicians and veterinary doctors on alert duty. All flood chowkis in the flood prone areas have been activated.
The relief commissioner has been asked to closely monitor the flood situation in the state.
Adityanath also promised to find a permanent solution to the recurring floods in the Doab region of the state and consider projects to divert the flow of rivers.