Nearly five million people have been affected by severe flooding in Bihar, one of India’s most flood-prone states, following heavy rainfall that pushed all seven major rivers above their danger levels on Tuesday, according to the state water resources department.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said food, clean drinking water, medicines and other essential supplies were being provided continuously to families affected by the floods.
Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said Rs7,000 ($72) had been transferred to more than 827,000 flood-affected families. According to the Bihar Disaster Management Department, the floods have affected nearly five million people across the state.
The chief minister said the government’s priority was to ensure that every affected family received relief while reconstruction efforts focused on rebuilding damaged areas.
Flooding began earlier this month, with local media reporting at least 20 deaths. Large areas of farmland have also been submerged, according to officials.
Bihar lies downstream of Nepal, where deadly flooding occurred last month.
“For us, floods are a recurring reality. Every year we face them,” said Chandan Kumar Mahto, a 46-year-old resident of Saran district. He said affected communities were struggling to obtain food, safe drinking water and milk for children.
The Bihar government, which is governed by a coalition that includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, has established 13 relief camps in flood-hit areas.
Authorities said more than 1,000 community kitchens had been set up and nearly 1,800 boats deployed to assist residents and deliver relief supplies.
Modi has also directed a federal government team to conduct a detailed assessment of the damage caused by the floods, officials said.
