Help Flood Victims in Bihar

As promised here is an update of our work helping those affected by flooding in North Bihar.

As you know we do not work in the flood affected areas, but we are able to help in the most effective way by working at village level with very small grass roots organizations located within these stricken communities.

Long term assistance includes loans and grants to start up small business, the gift of animals, the strengthening of defenses at a local level, helping make village dwellings stronger and ensuring access to basic medical care.

I traveled personally to supervise the distribution of much needed aid materials; again it seems the government is slow to respond to urgently needed aid.

These people although there has been work to secure flood defenses live in daily fear of losing their homes, their livestock and even their lives.

They are teetering on the brink of another major disaster. Let us hope and pray this time it can be averted.

I would like to express our heartfelt appreciation for this worthy cause,

Please our website and Facebook page, the links are below.

With best wishes to you and thanks,

Deepak

Links:

• Our Facebook page
• Our website

Progress Report

 Firstly may I apologize to our supporters for posting this report late, in fact this is the first report submitted to Global Giving which was not timely. There was however a reason. The Monsoon rains have come, better than last year so far in the south of Bihar which has had a two year drought, but in the north already 100 villages have been flooded.. Because the area of the flooding is outside our normal project area we were waiting for reports as our staff placed in these areas responded,

See the following press report,

Patna:  Hundreds of people in Bihar have been forced to abandon their homes as flood waters entered nearly 100 villages and rising levels of most rivers threatened to inundate many others, officials said on Saturday.
All the inundated villages were in flood-prone districts of Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Purnia, Araria, Saharsa, Madhepura and Bagaha, officials said.
"Water entered these villages after levels rose in all the major rivers following heavy rains in the state and the catchment areas of Nepal," a water resource department official said.
According to the Central Water Commission, the water level in major rivers - Kosi, Mahananda, Gandak, Budhi Gandak, and Bagmati - has increased since Friday.

Kosi and Bagmati are flowing above danger mark at some places. "All the rivers are in full spate following heavy rains. Some rivers may cross the red mark late Saturday or Sunday," an official said.
Officials said that after two consecutive years of drought, the fear of floods is back in Bihar with incessant rains and heavy water discharge into the Kosi river from Nepal.
However, Bihar Water Resources Development Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said all embankments were safe and there was no need to panic. "The government is fully ready to face any eventuality if water level in rivers create threat," he told IANS.
Choudhary said the government has taken full preparatory measures to protect embankments, but conceded that several villages in flood-prone districts face threats due to the increased water levels.
Reports suggested that the authorities have asked hundreds of people to shift to safer places following the rising water level of the Kosi. The state government has asked engineers and district officials to keep a 24-hour vigil.
Choudhary said the eastern Kosi embankment, which had breached in 2008, flooding five districts of northern Bihar, was totally safe. "We are taking care of it. There is no need to panic."
In 2008, over three million people were rendered homeless in Bihar when the Kosi river breached its bank upstream in Nepal and changed course. It was said to be the worst flood in the state in the last 50 years.
According to the water resources department, a lot of water has been discharged into the Kosi in the last few days after heavy rains in Nepal since Monday.

So once again with our local partners we are distributing humanitarian aid, blankets and medicines, water sterilising tablets and doing what we can to strengthen and save homes.There has been strengthening of the embankments, improved drainage in villages and other improvements in many villagers in the area, some with government assistance, but mostly by NGO's so it our hope these measures and others which we have been working on throught the year will prevent a full scale disaster and save many lives.

You will not have to wait 12 weeks for the next report, it will contain photographs of the work in progress and will be published within 14 days. I personally am visiting the area very soon as our contacts in the media inform us once again the government is slow to react in providing much needed assistance .

Once again thanks for your support