Bihar's 'Shok' Kosi on high, claims 42 lives

KOSI RIVER, known as shok (sorrow) of Bihar, seems justifying its name as the unparalled flood has drowned thousands of villages and captured the north Bihar in its dreaded claws. The already grim situation in most flood-affected districts of Supaul, Araria and Madhepura are further worsening.

Over 20 lakh people are badly affected by the floods and are forced to bear the brunt in 14 districts. So far, 42 people have been died as per the official sources, but the witnesses and non-government sources doubts the death has surpassed the data of hundreds. Nearly 12 lakh people have been trapped between the old and new stream of the river.

Train services are completely disrupted in the most flood-affected districts of Madhepura and Araria. National Highway 106 and 107 are completely separated from the movement owing to drowned road.

Rescue attempt is on peak. Three IAF choppers are indulged in airdropping relief materials. Army is actively working day and night in evacuating the people stranded on roads, embankments and other elevated places between the two streams of the river, official sources said.

About 70,000 people have been evacuated to safer places with the help of above 1,000 boats pressed into service by the government for relief and rescue efforts. More than 70 health centres and 20 cattle centres are functioning 24 hrs to assist the people.

This is for the first time in the 200-year history of Kosi river that it has changed its course near Kusaha village in Nepal after breaching the East Kosi afflux embankment on 18th August.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has appealed to the flood-affected people of the twin districts of Madhepura and Supaul to abandon houses and take shelter in relief camps. He also appealed to Opposition RJD and other political parties to stop playing politics on flood.

“This is not a time to win the war of rhetoric but a time for everyone to come together and help those who have been badly affected by the flood in North Bihar,” the Chief Minister said on Monday during press conference in Patna.

"I urge the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad to not indulge in petty politics by trying to divide people of Bihar on flood-relief issue. By not doing so, he would be rendering a huge service to the state," he said.

Nitish Kumar, who had come after making an aerial survey of the ravaged districts said, “It is not a normal flood, but a catastrophe. People have only option to reach safer places.” Boats have been pressed into service so that the flood-victims can be moved to relief camps. At least 10 lakh people mainly from Madhepura and Supaul will have to be evacuated, he added.

The flood has hit 14 districts of the state - Saharsa, Muzaffarpur, Katihar, West Champaran, Patna, Nalanda, Khagaria, Sheikhpura, Purnia, Saran, Begusarai, Supaul, Araria and Madhepura. Among them the last three are worst hit by the dreaded deluge.

The breach at the Bhim Nagar embankment of the Kosi river near Kusaha in Nepal occurred on August 18 and since then the breach has widened by 1.5 km. Officials said that this breach can be plugged only by October and November and by then the damage due to catastrophic flood to Madhepura and Supaul could be immense.