Dear Friends,
Sending you a letter from our friend Sh. D. K. Mishra on the tragedy of the flood relief. Also, find the latest on the losses due to flood in Bihar.
Vagish
(I)
The losses during the floods are often so severe that it takes a long time to recover from the shock. Many people have to depend on relief, whether willingly or otherwise, for survival. As the number of relief seekers swell, the situation at the ground becomes difficult for the administration to handle.
The situation has deteriorated so badly that, at least, at three occasions in the recent past, police had to fire at the relief seekers. The first incident of its kind occurred in Pothia (Kishanganj district) in 1991 when three persons were killed. According to official sources, the death toll was only two and the third person was missing. He is still missing. In an another incident, the police fired ‘in self defence’ at the relief seekers in Sitamarhi on the 11th August 1998. Their fault was that they were demanding adequate relief and protesting against bungling and mismanagement in relief operations. Two persons among the dead were the workers of the Janta Dal and that made the whole issue political. The opposition charged the Government of being insensitive to the woes of the people and the ruling party charged the opposition of taking political advantage from the miseries of the flood hit people.
The police action did not stop at Sitamarhi. It was followed up in Aurai, district Muzaffarpur, on the 6th August 2001 killing, at least, six persons. The row ensued when then munshi who was in charge of relief distribution started giving less quantities of food grains than prescribed by the Government. When the flood victims, mostly the red-card holders, protested against this arbitrary action of the munshi, the tussle started which resulted in police firing.
This year, in 2004, resorted to firing on the relief seekers on the 4th August, at Patepur in Vaishali district of Bihar resulting in the death of a 14 years old boy named Mantun Paswan. The flood victims were looking for the Circle Officer of the Patepur block for starting the relief operations and the protesters turned violent. The police had to fire in self-defence.
Dinesh Mishra
Patna
10th August 2004
The situation has deteriorated so badly that, at least, at three occasions in the recent past, police had to fire at the relief seekers. The first incident of its kind occurred in Pothia (Kishanganj district) in 1991 when three persons were killed. According to official sources, the death toll was only two and the third person was missing. He is still missing. In an another incident, the police fired ‘in self defence’ at the relief seekers in Sitamarhi on the 11th August 1998. Their fault was that they were demanding adequate relief and protesting against bungling and mismanagement in relief operations. Two persons among the dead were the workers of the Janta Dal and that made the whole issue political. The opposition charged the Government of being insensitive to the woes of the people and the ruling party charged the opposition of taking political advantage from the miseries of the flood hit people.
The police action did not stop at Sitamarhi. It was followed up in Aurai, district Muzaffarpur, on the 6th August 2001 killing, at least, six persons. The row ensued when then munshi who was in charge of relief distribution started giving less quantities of food grains than prescribed by the Government. When the flood victims, mostly the red-card holders, protested against this arbitrary action of the munshi, the tussle started which resulted in police firing.
This year, in 2004, resorted to firing on the relief seekers on the 4th August, at Patepur in Vaishali district of Bihar resulting in the death of a 14 years old boy named Mantun Paswan. The flood victims were looking for the Circle Officer of the Patepur block for starting the relief operations and the protesters turned violent. The police had to fire in self-defence.
Dinesh Mishra
Patna
10th August 2004
(II)
Dear All,
This is the latest from Bihar Flood Scene on the 6th August 2004.
No: of Districts Affected: 20 (All north Bihar Districts minus Saran and Siwan. Bihar has altogether 38 districts)
Blocks affected 203 (Out of 320 in North Bihar)
Panchayats Affected 2763 (Out of 8471 in Bihar)
Villages Affected 9366 (Out of 45,098 in Bihar)
Population Affected 21.18 millions (Total 52.3 million-2001 North Bihar)
Flood Affected Area 49.86 LH ( Total 54 LH-North Bihar)
Crops Damaged Over 13.42 LH
Value of Crops DamagedRs. 368.48 Crores
No: of Houses Damaged 720,026
Value of Houses Damaged Rs.365.74 Crores
Public Property Worth Rs. 536.71 Crores
No: of Human Lives Lost 649
Cattle life Lost 2439
No: of Boats Deployed 7660
Readymade food distributed 2823 Tons
G.R.Distributed 16,438Tons
Cash Dole Distributed Rs. 7.91 Crores
Polythene Sheets Distributed 4,90,273
Total Dry Food Airdropped. 830 Tons
Source: Report of Disaster Management Department, GOB, Dated 8th August 2004.
The state has demanded from the Centre Government a sum of Rs. 7035.63 crores, according to the report submitted to the team visiting the state to look into the flood damages. The claims are as under,
Disaster Management Department Rs. 3047.45 Crores
Water Resources Dept. Rs. 960.00 Crores
Health&Family Welfare Rs. 65.00 Crores
Animal Husbandry & Fisheries Rs. 100.47 Crores
Road Construction Rs. 413.57 Crores
Rural Engineering Rs. 480.00 Crores
BSEB Rs 54.35 Crores
PHED Rs. 160.34 Crores
Welfare Dept. Rs. 276.52 Crores
Rural Development To be submitted later
Urban Development Rs. 85.92 Crores
HRD(Secondary) Rs. 54.34 Crores
HRD (Primary) Rs. 160.80 Crores
Food & Civil Supplies Rs. 6.40 Crores
Minor Irrigation Rs. 100.10 Crores
Agriculture Dept. Rs. 306.22 Crores
Medical Education Rs. 11.15 Crores
Raised Platforms Rs. 750.00 Crores
Helipad Rs. 3.00 Crores
Total Rs. 7035.63 Crores
Note:
Some 6 bridges on the NH are washed away and another 225 damaged. There have been 118 breaches in the NH in the state in recent floods. On the state highways, ten bridges have collapsed and 323 damages. Overtopping has been observed at many places on the NH as well as SH. Some 8 routes on the NH and 38 routes on the SH and other roads had to be closed due to floods.
Water Resources Dept. is happy that only 55 breaches have taken place on their embankments (total length 3430 kilometers) while the number of breaches were 300 in the floods of 1987. For certain, the WRD is spreading a canard that there were 300 breaches in 1987. I have a report of 1987 that innumerates the river basin wise breaches on the embankments totaling to 105 numbers. The annual report of WRD (1987) confirms this number. It is just likely that the WRD has included the breaches that occurred in the Zamindari and Maharaji embankments to reach the figure of 300 (in 1987). The state WRD shouts from the roof tops that the Zamindari and the Maharaji embankments do not belong to them (WRD). It exercises its ownership on them when it suits the department.
Another disturbing feature of the losses is that the flood affected area of the state (2004) is reported to be 49.86 lakh hectares while, in 1987, it was 47.50 LH but the affected population is much less this year (21.18 million) against 28.6 million in 1987. I find it hard to explain that to myself. The number of human deaths is, fortunately, less this time. In 1987, it was 1600.
Politics was played in 1987 and it is being played in 2004 also. There was the same party rule in Patna and Delhi in 1987 and the almost similar situation is there in 2004 also. 1987 flood of Bihar was lost in the din of nation wide drought and it would be lost this year too because so many other states have suffered in the first round of floods and much more is in offing as the life has already been disrupted in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Assam and Himachal Pradesh.
The Water Resources Minister and his deputy at the Centre, however, have completed the formality of telling people that the negotiations are on with Nepal and that an office will be opened soon in Nepal for preparing the DPR of the Barahkshetra Dam on the Kosi, which would solve all the flood problems of the state. A SUN OF Rs. 29 Crores has been allotted for the purpose. I again fail to understand how one single dam over one single river would solve all the flood problems of the state but when a responsible minister says so, it must be true. Many lay persons have started saying that if only the rivers were linked, this disaster could have been averted. With 55 breaches in the embankments and over 550 breaches in the roads (The railways are yet to disclose their score), I fail to understand in what shape our Kosi-Ghaghara and Kosi- Mechi link canals would be, but when so many ‘believers’ feel that those proposed canals would divert all the ‘killer’ water to Tamil Nadu, I have no other choice than to join the majority. Yes, it will. Will someone bail me out from this state of utter confusion?
Dinesh Mishra
Patna
8th August 2004
This is the latest from Bihar Flood Scene on the 6th August 2004.
No: of Districts Affected: 20 (All north Bihar Districts minus Saran and Siwan. Bihar has altogether 38 districts)
Blocks affected 203 (Out of 320 in North Bihar)
Panchayats Affected 2763 (Out of 8471 in Bihar)
Villages Affected 9366 (Out of 45,098 in Bihar)
Population Affected 21.18 millions (Total 52.3 million-2001 North Bihar)
Flood Affected Area 49.86 LH ( Total 54 LH-North Bihar)
Crops Damaged Over 13.42 LH
Value of Crops DamagedRs. 368.48 Crores
No: of Houses Damaged 720,026
Value of Houses Damaged Rs.365.74 Crores
Public Property Worth Rs. 536.71 Crores
No: of Human Lives Lost 649
Cattle life Lost 2439
No: of Boats Deployed 7660
Readymade food distributed 2823 Tons
G.R.Distributed 16,438Tons
Cash Dole Distributed Rs. 7.91 Crores
Polythene Sheets Distributed 4,90,273
Total Dry Food Airdropped. 830 Tons
Source: Report of Disaster Management Department, GOB, Dated 8th August 2004.
The state has demanded from the Centre Government a sum of Rs. 7035.63 crores, according to the report submitted to the team visiting the state to look into the flood damages. The claims are as under,
Disaster Management Department Rs. 3047.45 Crores
Water Resources Dept. Rs. 960.00 Crores
Health&Family Welfare Rs. 65.00 Crores
Animal Husbandry & Fisheries Rs. 100.47 Crores
Road Construction Rs. 413.57 Crores
Rural Engineering Rs. 480.00 Crores
BSEB Rs 54.35 Crores
PHED Rs. 160.34 Crores
Welfare Dept. Rs. 276.52 Crores
Rural Development To be submitted later
Urban Development Rs. 85.92 Crores
HRD(Secondary) Rs. 54.34 Crores
HRD (Primary) Rs. 160.80 Crores
Food & Civil Supplies Rs. 6.40 Crores
Minor Irrigation Rs. 100.10 Crores
Agriculture Dept. Rs. 306.22 Crores
Medical Education Rs. 11.15 Crores
Raised Platforms Rs. 750.00 Crores
Helipad Rs. 3.00 Crores
Total Rs. 7035.63 Crores
Note:
Some 6 bridges on the NH are washed away and another 225 damaged. There have been 118 breaches in the NH in the state in recent floods. On the state highways, ten bridges have collapsed and 323 damages. Overtopping has been observed at many places on the NH as well as SH. Some 8 routes on the NH and 38 routes on the SH and other roads had to be closed due to floods.
Water Resources Dept. is happy that only 55 breaches have taken place on their embankments (total length 3430 kilometers) while the number of breaches were 300 in the floods of 1987. For certain, the WRD is spreading a canard that there were 300 breaches in 1987. I have a report of 1987 that innumerates the river basin wise breaches on the embankments totaling to 105 numbers. The annual report of WRD (1987) confirms this number. It is just likely that the WRD has included the breaches that occurred in the Zamindari and Maharaji embankments to reach the figure of 300 (in 1987). The state WRD shouts from the roof tops that the Zamindari and the Maharaji embankments do not belong to them (WRD). It exercises its ownership on them when it suits the department.
Another disturbing feature of the losses is that the flood affected area of the state (2004) is reported to be 49.86 lakh hectares while, in 1987, it was 47.50 LH but the affected population is much less this year (21.18 million) against 28.6 million in 1987. I find it hard to explain that to myself. The number of human deaths is, fortunately, less this time. In 1987, it was 1600.
Politics was played in 1987 and it is being played in 2004 also. There was the same party rule in Patna and Delhi in 1987 and the almost similar situation is there in 2004 also. 1987 flood of Bihar was lost in the din of nation wide drought and it would be lost this year too because so many other states have suffered in the first round of floods and much more is in offing as the life has already been disrupted in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Assam and Himachal Pradesh.
The Water Resources Minister and his deputy at the Centre, however, have completed the formality of telling people that the negotiations are on with Nepal and that an office will be opened soon in Nepal for preparing the DPR of the Barahkshetra Dam on the Kosi, which would solve all the flood problems of the state. A SUN OF Rs. 29 Crores has been allotted for the purpose. I again fail to understand how one single dam over one single river would solve all the flood problems of the state but when a responsible minister says so, it must be true. Many lay persons have started saying that if only the rivers were linked, this disaster could have been averted. With 55 breaches in the embankments and over 550 breaches in the roads (The railways are yet to disclose their score), I fail to understand in what shape our Kosi-Ghaghara and Kosi- Mechi link canals would be, but when so many ‘believers’ feel that those proposed canals would divert all the ‘killer’ water to Tamil Nadu, I have no other choice than to join the majority. Yes, it will. Will someone bail me out from this state of utter confusion?
Dinesh Mishra
Patna
8th August 2004
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