The recurring floods in Bihar has caused a rise in the level of water in all big and small rivers while the government tries to set up relief camps.
At least 67 people have lost lives in the Bihar flash floods caused by torrential rainfall in the last two weeks causing the rivers to overflow. This is also due to the stroke in the districts adjacent to Nepal. The floods have also affected nearly 40 lakh people in Bihar and Assam and 12 lakh people in 12 districts including the people of Kishanganj, Bagalbari district. However, they have received no help so far.
“So far there is no help at all. Since yesterday we are hearing they will distribute food items but there is nothing so far,” said Supol Vaksi, resident of Maujabari. The residents of Kishanganj have lost their homes due to the floods and now live in make-shift tents built with logs of wood and tarpaulin. This has left the residents with no food, clean water and toilets. “ There is nothing to eat. Everything is wet. We somehow bring something from the shops and feed the kids one or two snacks,” said Budhani Marandi another resident from Maujabari.
Bihar government’s Information and Public Relations department claims that 199 relief camps and 676 mass kitchens have been arranged for but even these huge number of relief camps can accommodate only 1 lakh people which leaves almost 24 lakh people on the streets. “When it rains, the water gets inside the tent, so it is very difficult and we get our drinking water from the river,” added Munni Devi from Maujabari.
Although the government of Bihar is making efforts to help people by setting up temporary relief camps, the problem of floods in Bihar has not changed in years. The floods caused a horrific catastrophe in entire of northern Bihar in 2017. This has led to loss of millions of lives and property over the years. So this leaves us questioning that will people of these regions suffer on such a large scale every monsoon season?
Video by Community Correspondent Mohd. Shah Faizal
Article by Kavyasri Srinath, a member of VV Editorial Team
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