Flood devastation in Bihar state

The banks of the Kosi river overflowed days after the part of the river in neighbouring
Nepal breached an embankment there. Bihar's districts of Supaul, Araria and Madhepura
which border Nepal are the worst affected. Despite receiving warnings from Nepal that
the River Kosi had burst it banks, both the local and central governments in India utterly
failed to mobilize.While as many as three millions mostly poor (and therefore not really
worth bothering about) people were stranded in trees and on rooftops, the bigwigs in
Patna and New Delhi bickered mercilessly about who was to blame. Bihar Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar has described the floods as a "catastrophe". In some areas the water level
has begun receding but the floods have also spread to other districts, affecting yet more
people.

Supplies by air
Even as increasing amounts of vital humanitarian assistance arrives in Northern India, the
swollen Kosi River continues to wreak additional havoc for millions of vulnerable
people. According the latest official reports, more than 3.3 million individuals have been
directly impacted by unprecedented flooding in a region of India not prone to this kind of
disaster.

Officials say that crops on tens of thousands of hectares of land have been damaged by
the Bihar floods. Over 50 relief camps have been opened in the three affected districts,
and Indian air force helicopters are dropping food packets in the area.
People in the area have taken refuge on embankments, highways, and buildings to escape
the flood waters. The Jharkhand government would dispatch a medical team comprising
15 doctors accompanied by two truck-load of medicines on Saturday to aid Bihar flood
victims.
The Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) is playing an essential role in relief efforts
throughout the affected region, supporting rescues, evacuations and the distribution of
relief supplies such as kitchen sets, mosquito nets, and basic food supplies. The
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is working to
coordinate the procurement and delivery of 10,000 tents to affected regions.

However, the affected people say they have not been receiving any government help.