‘Flood has become an annual affair in Bihar’

Come monsoon and the rivers in Bihar have once again breached the embankments, causing severe damages to life and property. The government machinery is yet again grappling with the relief and rescue operations.

Despite the state government spending crores for the disaster control and management where 28 of 38 districts have been declared as “flood prone”, the floods affect lakhs of people every year.

The government measures, including construction and repair of embankments, have thoroughly failed to serve their purpose.

This year, the flood has claimed almost 100 lives and affected over 93 lakh people across 17 districts in the north of the state. The toll has prompted the environmentalists and water experts to raise concern over the government’s repeated failure to resolve the matter.

Himalayan rivers are notorious for causing siltation between embankments. The process that badly affects the bed of the river can only be solved through dredging and treating the catchment, Patna-based hydrologist V K Singh said. “There is no proper silt management policy for Ganga or Kosi rivers, even though Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has frequently sought for a National Silt Management Policy,” he added.

Most of the rivers flowing through Bihar originate in Nepal. However, the officials executing various …read more