644 villages affected by floods in Uttar Pradesh; 300 cut off from other parts of 16 districts

LUCKNOW: As many as 644 villages are affected by floods in 16 districts of Uttar Pradesh, a state government official said on Tuesday (September 1).

These villages are located in Ambedkarnagar, Ayodhya, Azamgarh, Bahraich, Ballia, Barabanki, Basti, Deoria, Farrukhabad, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Lakhimpur Khiri, Kushinagar, Mau, Sant Kabirnagar and Sitapur districts, Relief Commissioner Sanjay Goyal said in a statement.

Of the 644 villages affected, 300 are cut off from other parts of the districts, he said.

Goyal also said 373 shelter homes and 784 'baarh chowki' (flood outposts) have been established in the state.

As many as 414 boats have been pressed into action. Twenty-nine teams of the NDRF, SDRF and the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) have been deployed in the flood-affected districts, officials said.

River Ganga was flowing above the danger mark in Ballia and river Sharda at Palia Kalan in Lakhimpur Khiri, they added.