The recent floods in Saptari district damaged hundreds bigha of arable land in different parts of the district, increasing risk of food shortage.

Floods caused by monsoon rains here have inundated arable land including paddy field.

Mahuli river flood damaged paddy field at Maina Kaderi, Bhediya, Trikol and Piprahi of Tirhut Rural Municipality. Hundreds bigha of land having paddy plantation was damaged by the flood, said Bina Tiwari, a local.

Likewise, floods damaged paddy field at Bhairawa, Badmaga, Barmajihya, Portaha, Bhardaha, Sakardahi, Hanumannagar, Inarwa, Madhuwapur, Daluwa, Rampur and Malahani of Kanchanrup and Hanumannagar Kankalani Municipalities, said Shyam Sundar Shrestha of Hanumannagar Kankalani-2.

Floods from the Khando and Balan rivers in the district have also inundated settlement at Sakarpura, Tilathi and Lonia.

Meanwhile, a child was drowned in a water pit at Daluwa of Hanumannagar Kankalani Municipality-14 today.

According to Saptari's Deputy Superintendent of Police Yadav Raj Upreti, the deceased is local five-year-old Indal Yadav. The child reportedly fell into a water pit as he was searching for open space for defecation. RSS