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  • 14/09/2007

In Uttar Pradesh, the floods affected 22 districts. The worst hit were Maharajgani, Basti, Balia, Gorakpur, Shravasti, Barabanki, Devria, Bairampur, Gonda, Bhraich, Mau and Azamgarh. The state government had asked Rs 2,200 crore from the Centre for relief work. Most of the affected were sent to relief camps, according to the state government. It has stated that situation is return to normalcy. Media reports affirm this. In Orissa, Sundergarh, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts were adversely affected by floods. The state government set up free kitchens in the affected districts. The situation began to return to normalcy in mid July. 135 boats were pressed into service in flood hit areas for rescue and relief operations. The state government had to take the help of Central Industrial Security Force personnel in Balasore district. It requested Rs 306 crores from the Centre for relief. The state government has also demanded 38,600 tonnes of foodgrain. In Gujarat, Bharuch, Narmada. Surat, Bhavnagar and Surendranagar were pounded with 400 mm of rain in 24 hour period in early July. In coastal Gujarat, which bore the brunt of the floods, over 16,000 people were shifted to safety. About 580 medical teams were rushed to flood-hit areas. The teams consisting of 365 medical officers and 1,477 para medical staff have been deployed in the affected districts. The Army helped with rescue and relief In early July, there were heavy rains in the Nilgiri hills, Tamil Nadu. On July 19, a flood alert was sounded in the Cauvery delta, with heavy release from the Mettur dam. In West Bengal, July saw the Brahmaputra and Teesta swelling resulting in an alert being issued from Mekhliganj to the Bangladesh border. Maharashtra and Tripura also experienced some floods through May and July. Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand were also affected by flash floods which disrupted rail and road transport. UNDP and the Union ministry of home affairs are coordinating flood relief work. Other major groups providing relief are UNICEF, WHO and NGOs including Sphere India, Eficor, MDA, Medicines Sans Frontier, World Vision, Oxfam, Save the Children and Christian AID.

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