Yaas effect has lessened in Bihar, but need to remain vigilant: CM Nitish Kumar

PATNA: The impact of Yaas cyclone in Bihar has become less severe but there was a need for the people to remain vigilant and not let their guard down, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Saturday.

Kumar made an appeal to this effect through his official twitter handle, a day after the state was lashed by moderate to heavy rainfall and at least seven persons were killed in various districts while several others were injured.

The rains had caused roofs and walls to collapse at many places, trees to fall under the impact of strong breezes besides leading to heavy water-logging in densely populated areas.

According to the weather department, light to moderate rainfalls were reported from most parts of the state on Saturday and warned that heavy showers and thunderstorms could strike some places on Sunday on account of low pressure that has built up.

Meanwhile, the opposition RJD launched a tirade against the NDA government in the state accusing it of failure in developing a sound drainage system to avoid water-logging.

Leader of the opposition Tejashwi Yadav shared on his twitter handle a number of videos, purportedly of different water-logged cities of the state, and remarked that the situation prevailed in spite of "crores being spent in the name of making the cities of Bihar smart".

State water resources minister Sanjay Kumar Jha, meanwhile, said in a statement that water level of rivers flowing through Bihar was, so far, below the danger level though the same was being monitored on an hourly basis.

He also said that, nonetheless, in view of the rise in water levels that has been recorded in the last 48 hours because of the rainfall, the work of repair of embankments was being undertaken on a war footing.