Amidst the escalating impact of floods in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has directed officials to expedite the delivery of relief funds to flood-affected people. He also called for a swift review of crop damage compensation, repair of damaged roads, and rescue operations.
Bihar: The flood situation continues to worsen, with several districts in the state affected by the overflowing of the Ganga and other rivers. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reviewed the relief efforts in the flood-affected areas and instructed officials to ensure that relief funds are provided to the affected people as soon as possible, and that essential goods and medical facilities are distributed.
The Chief Minister obtained information about the status of relief and rescue operations in the flood-affected districts of the state through video conferencing at the ‘Sankalp’ center located at 1 Anne Marg. In the meeting, Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit provided information on the latest situation in the flood-affected areas and the water levels of the rivers. He stated that due to excessive rainfall, the water level of the Ganga River is continuously rising in the districts along its banks, which is seriously affecting the safety and movement of people.
Status of Affected Districts and Population
Officials reported that this year, the districts of Bhojpur, Patna, Saran, Vaishali, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Munger, Khagaria, Bhagalpur, and Katihar in the state have been particularly affected by the floods. Approximately 2.5 million people in 348 panchayats of a total of 54 blocks in these districts are affected by the floods. According to officials, 7 teams of NDRF and 9 teams of SDRF are actively working in the affected areas for relief operations.
The Chief Minister instructed officials to immediately pay relief funds to flood-affected farmers for crop damage compensation. In addition, the Road Construction Department and the Rural Works Department were directed to immediately repair damaged roads so that people's movement is not affected.
Current Status of Relief and Rescue Operations
Officials informed the meeting that relief work is being carried out in the flood-affected areas through 60 motor boats and 1233 boats. So far, 52,573 polythene sheets and 1800 dry ration packets have been distributed among the affected people. Arrangements have been made in the flood relief camps for the affected people as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). More than 1.3 million people have been provided food in community kitchen centers so far.
Animal feed and medical facilities are also being provided for animals. The Disaster Management Department is reviewing the relief and rescue operations every day. District Magistrates have been instructed to prepare a list of the affected people and ensure the distribution of ex-gratia relief (GR).
Administrative Vigilance and Further Preparation
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar told officials that there should be no delay in the process of moving people living along the banks of rivers to safer places. He also said that the government is always ready to help the disaster victims. Preparations for potential floods, droughts, and other natural disasters are reviewed before the onset of monsoon, and all departments remain active as per the SOP.
Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Disaster Management Minister Vijay Kumar Mandal, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Deepak Kumar, Development Commissioner Pratyaya Amrit, Principal Secretary of Water Resources Department Santosh Kumar Mall, Principal Secretary of Agriculture Department Pankaj Kumar, Secretary of Road Construction Department Sandeep Kumar R. Pudukalkatti, Secretary of Energy Department Manoj Kumar Singh, Secretary of Disaster Management Department Dr. Chandrashekhar Singh, and other officials were present at the meeting.
Additionally, the District Magistrates of Bhagalpur, Bhojpur, and Patna also joined the meeting via video conferencing and shared detailed information about the relief and rescue operations being conducted in their respective districts.
