The death toll in rain-related incidents in Bihar soared to 73 on Thursday even as forces involved in relief and rescue operations fished out rotting corpses from water-logged areas in several places.
The torrential rain that took place between September 27 and 30 has created a flood-like situation in 15 districts of the state, including the state capital.
The state disaster management said that the death toll takes into account loss of lives caused by drowning, wall collapse, trees crushing people to death and electrocution of citizens trapped in water-logged areas.
The department was, however, unable to provide a district-wise break-up.
It is being presumed that Bhagalpur where the district administration has confirmed as many as 12 casualties, might have been the worst affected.
In Patna, normal life has come to a grinding halt in many parts of the city which have been water-logged for close to a week notwithstanding efforts being made by the district administration, along with the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force, to replenish stocks of food, medicines and drinking water of the stranded citizens.
Banks, shops, private hospitals and coaching institutes which abound in Kankar Bagh, Rajendra Nagar and Pataliputra Colonly, the worst-affected ones have been closed for a week.
The last time they could conduct normal business was on Friday when the downpour began late in the evening and continued for the next couple of days.
Many localities have been rid of inundation by now as sump houses have been working overtime and heavy duty pumps have been brought in from Chhattisgarh to flush out the water with greater speed.
However, residents of these localities are faced with a fresh set of woes as tap water supplied by the municipal authorities and even submersible boring has got contaminated and is emitting foul smell, rendering it unfit for consumption.
Complaints of the sort are flooding the helplines set up by the district administration as also its WhatsApp group where assurances have come from District Magistrate Kumar Ravi that remedial measures will be taken.
