16 UP districts on flood alert as rivers swell

Lucknow, June 20 (IANS) Sixteen districts in Uttar Pradesh have been put on high alert for floods in the coming days.The districts include Lakhimpur Kheri, Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur, Maharajganj, Deoria, Basti, Kushinagar, Siddhartha Nagar, Gorakhpur, Gonda, Sant Kabir Nagar, Ballia, Barabanki, Sitapur and Mau.Relief Commissioner, Ranvir Prasad, has issued a notice to administrations of these districts, warning of the possibility of flood in the coming days.The affected districts are on the banks of river like Rohini, Sharda, Ghagra and Rapti that have been on the rise due to incessant rains in the catchment areas in Nepal and UP.According to official sources, Rohini is flowing above danger mark while Sharda, Ghagra and Rapti were close to danger mark and showing a rising trend due to heavy rainfall.The relief commissioner said that as per remote sensing images from June 14, it was seen that 28,581 hectare area in Maharajganj and 2,674 hectares in Siddhartha Nagar are already under water. Since, it has been raining intermittently in these districts."We are in touch with National Remote Sensing Centre in Hyderabad and getting daily images for flooded areas," the official said.
--IANS
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