Floods and exodus continue in Bihar
30 Aug 2008, 2120 Hrs

Fury of floods continues in Bihar forcing the people to shift to safer areas as they complain of lack of relief and rehabilitation

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Purnia/Patna, August 30 (ANI): Fury of floods continues in Bihar forcing the people to shift to safer areas as they complain of lack of relief and rehabilitation.

The people of Madhepura district of the State, where about a million people are caught in the web of floods, complained on Saturday that the government is not providing relief to the victims.

"There has been no relief from the government. There are no medical facilities and the hospital and the police station are left locked," said Mukesh Kumar, a flood victim.

The people of flood-affected areas are facing every imaginable crisis ranging from loss of their property to loss of their kith and kin.

"The situation is grim as floodwater has entered our homes. People have lost their belongings as well as relatives," said Vijay, a flood victim.

The people of these areas have started a virtual exodus as they began leaving for safer destinations like Patna.

The migrants may have come from different areas of the state but they share common agony- floods.

Rather than being marooned in their villages, which are facing torrent monsoon rain and resultant deluge, the flock of asylum seekers preferred to leave for the sake of their lives.

"We have left our place as we were left with no place to live. Floodwater is present everywhere," said Sarita, native of flood affected Madhepura.

The flooding in many districts of Bihar, the worst in 50 years, was caused after the Kosi River breached a dam in Nepal, from where it originates. These unleashed huge waves of water that smashed mud embankments downstream in Bihar.

The waters of Kosi, known as Bihar's 'river of sorrow' for its regular floods and tendency to change course, gushed into the state inundating vast areas and affecting around two million people.

Floods have killed more than 1,000 people in South Asia since the monsoon started in June, mainly in Uttar Pradesh, where 725 people lost their lives. Deaths were also reported from Nepal and Bangladesh. (ANI)