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India

Joint Rapid Needs Assessment, Bihar Urban Floods, 2019

Attachments

1. Background

Bihar is a state in eastern India. Bihar has a diverse climate. Its temperature is subtropical in general, with hot summers and cold winters. Bihar is a vast stretch of fertile plain. It is drained by the Ganges River, including its northern tributaries Gandak and Koshi, originating in the Nepal Himalayas and the Bagmati originating in the Kathmandu Valley that regularly flood parts of the Bihar plains.

Many areas of Bihar have been raining heavily since 21st September. Water has entered 80% of the houses in the capital Patna. The four rivers near Patna, Son, Ganga, Gandak and Punpun, have risen above the danger mark. The release of 2.75 lakhs cusecs of water from Indrapuri barrage across the Sone river has worsened the situation in river Ganga which caused panic among people living in Patna. 24 districts including the capital city Patna is affected. 35 people have died in Bihar after incessant rain in the area, including capital Patna. During the flood, some of worst impacted areas were slums in Patna. The slum areas of Rajendra Nagar area, Ramakrishna Nagar, Kankarbagh, boring road, Nala Road, Gandhi Maidan are among the worst-affected localities in Patna. The Pataliputra Colony and Kurji are also severely water logged. These slums faced severe flooding; causing damages to the houses and remained inhabitable for many days afterwards. The unhygienic living conditions in slums and water accumulation during and after rain, which makes the situation more worse and slum areas flood almost each year now.

Estimates of humanitarian impact - Till date (during current monsoon season):

10,38,04,637 total population of Bihar State (2011 Census)

Affected districts 28 - (Araria, Kishanganj, Madhubani, East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Sheohar,
Supaul, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Saharsa, Katihar, Purnea, West Champaran, Buxar, Bhojpur, Samastipur, Lakhisarai, Begusarai, Khagaria,
Bhagalpur, Munger, Patna, Saran, Vaishali, Arwal, Jehanabad, Nalanda and Nawada)

2. Relief measures by GO & NGOs

Several teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and SDRF are out in the Patna streets to rescue people. Meanwhile, three more NDRF teams have been deployed in Patna to rescue people. The slum areas of Rajendra Nagar area, Ramakrishna Nagar, Kankarbagh, boring road, Nala Road, Gandhi Maidan are among the worst-affected localities in Patna. The Pataliputra Colony and Kurji are also severely waterlogged.

Government initiatives

  • NDRF, SDRF, Army are deployed for rescue operation.to moving stranded people to safer places.

  • Local administration started supply of drinking water through tankaring in the Islampur Taluka. The administration felt that this is insufficient as they could able to mobilised only 5 tankers and them also looking for more tanker to supply to the unreachable areas.

  • Government started distribution dry food distribution and ready to eat meal to the relief camps.