Reviving fears of a repetition of the 2008 devastation, floods in Bihar have claimed 166 lives and affected over 5 million people in around 20 districts. And with flood situation remaining critical, thousands have been forced to leave their homes and live in makeshift camps or under the open sky.
All major rivers, including the Ganga, Kosi, Gandak, Budhi Gandak, and Bagmati are flowing above the danger mark, raising fears of more villages being inundated. However, the embankments of these rivers are reported to be safe and there hasn’t been any breach anywhere.
The state government has set up 89 relief camps where over fourty thousand flood victims have taken shelter. Over 2 lakh quintal of food grains and 50,000 polythene sheets have been distributed among the victims.
Meanwhile, the state cabinet has sanctioned Rs 40 crore to the disaster management department (DMD) to carry out flood relief work.
Photo by Biharprabha
