ETV Bharat at Ground Zero: No lessons from 2019 as 10 districts of Bihar engulf in flood

With the arrival of monsoon, people of Bihar have to grieve a massive flood due to the bogus claims of the top politicians every year. In order to authenticate such claims, ETV Bharat has reached some of the districts of Bihar which are considered as the 'worst-hit' due to the deluge.

Patna: With the arrival of monsoon, people of Bihar have to grieve a massive flood due to the bogus claims of the top politicians. As per official claim, over five hundred people lost their lives every year due to ferocious surge in the water levels in several districts of the Bihar, whereas the ground reality claims the number of such deaths lies in 'thousands'.

Low-lying districts like Darbhanga, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur, Khagaria, Purvi Champaran, Samastipur and Begusarai are those which account for 70 per cent of the lives claims due to flood in the state.

While talking to ETV Bharat, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) DG SN Pradhan on Thursday informed that 122 NDRF teams, including 16 in Assam and 21 in Bihar, have been deployed in 20 states.

Pradhan said the monsoon this year has been above normal and there has been heavy rain. This is leading to a flood-like situation in different parts of the country. Bihar and Assam continue to be sensitive areas that have been affected by floods.

In order to authenticate such claims, ETV Bharat has reached some of the districts of Bihar which are considered as the 'worst-hit' due to the deluge.

Muzaffarpur:

People were forced to set up camps at NH-27 after their homes got partially submerged in floodwaters in Muzaffarpur's Kanti area. "Water entered our houses, and there are no arrangements for anyone. We are forced to stay at highways until water is there. We don't have food or anything else," said Bima Devi, camp dweller.

People were forced to set up camps at NH-27 after their homes got partially submerged in floodwaters.

"We have children also, how will we stay here? There is nothing to eat as of now. We gave biscuits to the children. The polythene sheets for the camps have been provided by the ward commissioner. We will stay in the camps till the situation normalises," said Sangeeta Devi, camp dweller.

Sitamarhi

Most parts of Sitamarhi district in Bihar were flooded after three days of incessant rains, affecting normal life. People had to wade through the chest- or knee-deep water. In some areas, people had to use boats to go for work. Mahesh Rai, a local resident told to ETV Bharat, "The area is submerged in floodwater. The district administration must look into the problems faced by locals as the situation is grave here." A doctor said, "I run a hospital here. Because of floods, road connectivity has been affected. It is difficult to take patients to hospitals. The incessant rain has made the situation tough."

Darbhanga:

Recently, a pregnant woman who was taken to the hospital on a makeshift boat amid the floods in Bihar's Darbhanga on Tuesday became the talk of the town.

Pregnant woman uses makeshift boat to reach hospital in Darbhanga, Bihar

Rukasana Praveen, an eight-month-old pregnant woman, who is a resident of Asraha village in Darbhanga experienced difficulty to reach the hospital while suffering from a severe stomach ache.

The villagers then built a makeshift boat with a tube and took her to the hospital. Kanija Khatoon, Praveen's mother said, "As the flood water has reached our house, it was difficult to take my daughter to the hospital."

However, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday visited flood-affected areas in Madhepur Block of Madhubani district and distributed money among people.

While commenting on the upcoming elections, Yadav said, "Bihar has bigger problems now... people are dying. We request the Election Commission to review their decision on the elections as the condition of Bihar is delicate. How will people vote in this condition? So many villages are submerged in water. We won't let elections happen over dead bodies."