PATNA: As the flood situation in Bihar becomes more grave each day, food packets are being air-dropped in the worst-affected districts of the state by three helicopters of the Indian Air Force (IAF) from Saturday morning.
The IAF helicopters, summoned by the state government, dropped the food packets in dozens of villages which are inundated because of breaches in the embankments of Saran and Champaran in Gopalganj and East Champaran districts.
According to the principal secretary of State Disaster Management Department, Pratyay Amrit, the IAF choppers are air-dropping the foods packets in Darbhanga, Gopalganj and East Champaran's flood-affected areas and would continue till situation normalises.
In Darbhanga, district magistrate Dr SM Thyagarajan flew in the helicopter to monitor the air operation across the inundated areas.
He said that 529 panchayats in 74 blocks of 10 districts have now been affected by the flood in Bihar due to heavy rains and heavy discharges of water and some breaches caused in the embankments.
Quoting figures, he said that around 9.60 lakhs of people were affected by floods in the state till date.
"21 shivers and 271 community kitchens have been opened by the state Disaster Management Department across the flood affected districts.More than 1,15,325 people, shifted to safer places from flooded areas, are getting free foods and other reliefs at the kitchens and shivers functioning round the clock," he said.
Meanwhile, official sources said that 18 people have also lost their lives so far in the flood in affected districts.