Hailstorm damages standing crops in north Bihar districts

MUZAFFARPUR: Heavy rain accompanied by hailstorm damaged the standing Rabi crops in Sitamarhi, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur and other parts of north Bihar late on Sunday night.

Heavy rain and hailstorm flattened crops in various parts of the region while the harvest of wheat, mustard and other Rabi crops is barely a week away.

In East Champaran district, hailstorm and heavy rain lashed Raxaul, Adapur, Ghorasahan, Chhoradano and Dhaka blocks situated along Indo-Nepal border on Sunday evening.

Hundreds of hutments were damaged but there was no report of any human or animal casualty. The hailstorm lashed the northern part of East Champaran for half an hour, damaging wheat crop, buds of mango and litchi fruits.

Squall and hailstorm damaged crops, vegetables and fruits’ foliage extensively in Sitamarhi district as well. Hails weighing up to 250gm lashed many villages in Runnisaidpur, Riga, Suppi, Majorganj and Bairgania blocks. Wheat crop was extensively damaged. Mango and litchi fruits also bore the brunt of the hailstorm. Besides, asbestos and earthen tiles of kachcha houses were also damaged. Affected villagers were seen down and dejected.

While the administration in all the affected districts were yet to collect data on crop loss, agriculture department officials were given instruction to prepare detailed reports.

The district magistrates and officials of disaster management department will shortly submit a report to the senior officials at Tirhut commissionerate in this regard.

Tirhut divisional commissioner Narmadeshwal Lal told this newspaper on Monday that separate teams of district administrations and agriculture department apart from disaster management have been formed to assess the damage.

“They have been sent to the affected areas to ascertain the damage and to provide adequate help to those in distress,” he said.

The rainfall also led to decline in temperature in the region with a dip of 3 degrees C in the minimum and maximum temperatures, while cloudy conditions prevailed on Monday.

(With inputs from Sitamarhi & East Champaran)