Floods: 10 more NDRF teams for Bihar, UP

New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) Ten more teams of the NDRF weretoday deployed for rescue and relief operations in flood-hitBihar and Uttar Pradesh even as the force rescued over 33,000marooned people from various states. Witnessing continuous rains and with people not wanting toleave their homes, the force has also deployed a number of’boat ambulances’ in these states on which the personnel of theforce provide pre-hospitalisation treatment and medicines tothe affected. "The 10 teams that were airlifted yesterday for Bihar andUttar Pradesh have been deployed. We are intensifying ouroperations," National Disaster Response Force chief O P Singhtold PTI. A special control room at the forces’ headquarter here ismonitoring the situation 24X7, he said. As per reports coming from the flood-affected areas of UP,the water level is increasing by 1 cm per hour in areas aroundVaranasi and about 15 cm rise in the water level has been seenin the day till now, a senior official said. There are reports of waterlogging in Varanasi andGhazipur, the official said. "So far, NDRF teams have evacuated/rescued 33,210 peopleand provided medicine assistance to 9,197 needy people," thenational contingency force said, adding rescue operations infour other states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh andAssam are in "full swing". Apart from the 10 fresh teams, 17 rescue teams of the NDRFare operational in Bihar. As per data, while 650 people were rescued from Patna,1,580 from Didarganj, 450 from Sonepur, 65 from Vaisali, 780people from Bakhtiyarpur and 300 people and 10 cattles wererescued from Digaghat Danapur to safer locations. "Thus, NDRF has rescued a total of 14,178 people in lastfour days in Bihar," it said. Similarly, 19 teams of NDRF are deployed in differentparts of Uttar Pradesh. In order to launch massive operations in the twoworst-affected states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the NDRF hascreated on-ground control rooms in these two states and deputedtwo senior Deputy Inspector General-rank officers (DIG) to takecontrol of the situation. PTI NES DIP ZMNDIP