West Bengal floods: Situation improves in six districts; Malda still struggles to stay afloat

Kolkata: The situation in parts of the six flood-hit northern districts of West Bengal has improved as the water was receding though several areas in Malda district remained inundated, an official said on Thursday. [caption id=“attachment_3935375” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of people wading through a flooded road in South Dinajpur in West Bengal. PTI[/caption] The flood in north Bengal has claimed the lives of at least 90 people while nearly 59 lakh have been affected in the six districts, the official of the state disaster management department said. Of the 90 dead, 77 drowned, seven died in snake bites, five in wall collapses and one due to electrocution, he said. According to a disaster management department report, the toll in Uttar Dinajpur district was 36, Dakshin Dinajpur 21, Coochbehar 18, Alipurduar 8 and Jalpaiguri 7, a no deaths due to the deluge in Malda district. After touring Dakshin Dinajpur, Uttar Dinajpur and Malda districts on Monday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said 152 people have died and 1.5 crore people affected in the 11 districts of the state which were affected by floods. Over six lakh hectares of crop fields in the six north Bengal districts have been affected and 1,89,161 houses were fully damaged, the state disaster management department official said. Around 308 relief camps are operating in the six districts where over 1.5 lakh people have taken shelter, he said.