Officials Inspect Flood Relief Camps in Varanasi and Purnia

Relief Camp Inspection in Varanasi

District Magistrate Satyendra Kumar inspected flood relief camps set up along the banks of the Varuna river in Varanasi on Monday, according to the Hindi daily Livehindustan. At the campus of Primary School Saraiya he ordered tents to be pitched and the number of toilets increased. He also directed that enough boats be arranged, a demand raised by the local ward councillor.

Kumar said children's schooling must not be affected, and instructed the teachers posted there to arrive on time and teach. Officials of the revenue, medical and animal husbandry departments, along with the municipal corporation, were told to remain especially vigilant.

He directed that nutritious food be supplied through community kitchens at the camps. At United Public School he sought information about flood-affected areas and took feedback from people who had come there about the arrangements. He also ordered continuous health checks, and told the municipal corporation to keep the camp premises and toilets clean and to carry out anti-larval spraying and fogging in waterlogged areas. A ward councillor and a naib tehsildar were with him.

Shelter Checks in Purnia

In Purnia district in Bihar, the district administration is on alert over possible flooding, Dainik Bhaskar reported. On the instruction of District Magistrate Anshul Kumar, embankments, bridges and culverts, sensitive and highly sensitive sites, potentially flood-affected areas and flood shelters are being inspected continuously.

Assistant Disaster Management Officer Pranav Kumar, along with engineers of the building construction department, inspected flood shelters in the Baisa and Amaur blocks on Thursday. The joint team reviewed the physical condition of the shelters, cleanliness, drinking water, toilets, electricity supply and the structural safety of the buildings. Where maintenance or repair was found necessary, the engineers concerned were told to complete the work on time.

The officer said people taking refuge in the shelters should face no difficulty in an emergency, so all arrangements must be put in order in advance. He also reviewed water levels and protective embankments along stretches of the Mahananda river. Villagers at Kashibari in Baisa block reported river erosion, and flood control division engineers were ordered to inspect the site at once and take corrective and preventive action.

Open Questions

The officer said there is no flood-like situation in the area at present and that all embankments are safe, according to Dainik Bhaskar. Water levels on the Mahananda and activity in riverside areas are being monitored, and local residents are being asked to stay alert.

Neither report gives the number of people staying in the Varanasi camps, the number of shelters checked in Purnia, or any figures for river water levels. The two reports describe separate districts and do not say whether the two situations are linked.