Death count in Assam, Bihar floods reaches 174; water levels start receding

The death toll in Bihar and Assam floods mounted to 174, with a total of 1.09 crore people being affected by the calamity in the two states, officials said. Though water levels have started receding in several districts of the two states, both reported two deaths each since Monday.

With both the casualties taking place in Madhubani district of Bihar, the toll in the state reached 106. In Assam, the number of deaths touched 68 as two more people died in Morigaon and Golaghat districts since Monday.

A total of 28.01 lakh people were affected in 19 of the 33 districts of the northeastern state, officials said in Guwahati. Though the flood waters have receded in Biswanath and Karbi Anglong districts, the deluge hit Lakhimpur and Baksa again, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said.

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In the Kaziranga National Park in Golaghat district the death toll of animals rose to 204, including 15 rhinos, since July 13, it said. In Bihar, water levels have started receding in several districts and consequently the number of relief camps and those taking shelter at these have also gone down considerably, Disaster Management Department officials said

A population of 80.55 lakh in 12 districts are still affected in the state. The number of relief camps on Tuesday was 54, as against more than 130 a week ago and the number of people staying at those places has gone down from over one lakh to 29,400, the officials said.