AMDA Emergency Relief Bulletin #2: Floods in Bihar, India
Publication date: 2017-09-06
On 01 September 2017, AMDA’s joint relief team that departed Gaya College in Gaya, Bihar, arrived in the north of the state which has been severely affected by the flood. The team provided food supplies and daily goods to three villages in Ganga Bandh District, Samastipur. 300 families received a set of relief goods containing bread, jam, cookies, rice, sweets, as well as soap and buckets. Also among the items were candles and box matches for the ongoing power outage.
The low area is still deeply submerged where only the rooftop of a house is visible above the water surface, whereas, in the high place, rain water has almost receded. One of the locals who temporarily lives in a self-made tent said the evacuation life may get prolonged as it would probably take more than a month until the condition gets normalized. His makeshift shelter was built with logs and tarpaulins.
According to another evacuee, her family of 10 people has taken refuge in the high place for the past two weeks, stating that the only way to reach their home-village is by boat. She was fully being aware of fact that their house was no longer liveable.
The Indian government has secured tents, toilets and wells for water supply alongside the meal provision assistance it has carried out. However, the local economic stability is seemingly bleak as most of the villagers were farmers whose paddy fields were severely damaged by the flood.
The local people thanked AMDA for the aid it has provided. “The candles and matches are essential during the blackout, and even with the limited amount of food aid, it is still a big help for us as we have no income source to rely on for the time being.”
According to UNOCHA, the death toll of the current flood crisis in India has mounted to over 940 with 32 million people having been affected. In the state of Bihar alone, the number of casualties is still on the rise and the afflicted population has topped 11 million. As of 03 September 2017, the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority announced that the flood has claimed the lives of 514 people. The arrival of monsoon season has exacerbated the situation in which the total number of evacuees has soared to 854,000.
By working closely with its local counterparts, AMDA will keep an eye on the situation on the ground.
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