September 1st, 2008 
Aman 
Flood Situation in the flood affected state of Bihar is deteriorating day by day as water level is rising because of continuous rainfall. Breach in Kosi embankment at upstream Kuaha village in Nepal had caused the floods in the state. Because of the breach Kosi river changed its course and started to flow on the 200 hundred years’ old route. It affected more than three million(30 lakh) people. Since August 18, more than thirty lakh people are sitting on their rooftops waiting for relief under the continuous downpour even without shelters over their heads.
Reality Thousands of people have not eaten nothing even for more than seven days. Situation is more grim in the marooned remote towns and villages. Situation is so grim that even after two weeks of floods only 5 lakh people could be evacuated from the flood affected areas. It is being expected that situation will deteriorate more as the time will advance. According to the government sources, till Monday, 90 people have be reported to be killed in the floods. But according to the unconfirmed reports death toll will in thousands as thousands of people have been missing or have been washed away in the current of the water. Situation is so grim that relief workers have not succeeded to reach the remote areas even after two weeks.
Responsibility Government had constructed hundreds of miles of embankments and Bheemnagar barrage more than four decades ago, Since then area was considered to be safe from the floods. But political crisis in Nepal and the callousness and carelessness of Indian officials and engineers who were responsible for the repair of the embankment paved the way for century’s worst calamity in the state. Previous Bihar government took no precautionary measures to repair the embankment despite the repeated reports of the concerned officials. Step-motherly relations between the state and center government added more to the problem as it took one week for the Chief Minister to get the required help to carry out rescue and relief operation from the center government.
Relief Operation It took two weeks to the government to understand that work should be done war footing to carry out rescue work in the flood affected areas. Army pressed 16 additional columns of men to intensify the relief and rescue operations on Monday. A total of 3300 army personal have been pressed into action. Except it, many NGO’s para military forces, state police and other and thousands of individuals are helping in the operation.
But state government will have to go through the acid test in the forthcoming months as winter season is nearing but it will take more than two months to recede the waters and only then affected people will be able to return to their homes.
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