One Million People Cut Off By Monsoon Floods In India

PATNA, India — Authorities struggled Monday to get aid to more than 1 million people stranded by floods in a north Indian state, with one local government leader describing the situation as a catastrophe.

Air force helicopters and troops were trying to get food to people in the stricken areas of Bihar state that were inundated by flood waters last week after torrential rains caused the Kosi river in neighboring Nepal to burst its banks.

The Bihar state government issued a plea to relief agencies to step in and help get food and shelter to the residents.

"It is not a normal flood, but a catastrophe," said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after making an aerial survey of the ravaged districts.

Kumar said more than 1 million people were cut off from the rest of the country because the floods had washed away roads and made railway lines impassable.

India's monsoon season, which lasts from June to September, brings rain vital for the country's farmers but also massive destruction. Floods, mudslides, collapsing houses and lightning strikes kill hundreds of people every year.

This year's monsoon has killed more than 330 people in India so far. In 2007, monsoon floods killed more than 2,200 people across South Asia and left 31 million others homeless, short of food or with other problems. The United Nations called last year's floods the worst in living memory.

Officials said they were struggling to cope because the Kosi river changed its course after bursting its banks, flooding areas not usually affected by the seasonal monsoon.

"We are in for a long battle as the floods have come in areas which are not prone to it," said the state's Disaster Management Secretary Prataya Amrit. He said the areas lacked facilities and relief centers for dealing with floods.

Kumar said he had appealed to the Indian Embassy in Nepal to secure permission for India to send in workers and equipment to try to mend the breach in the river.

Comments

[blowhard]

why is he grabbing his b a l l s. i didn't know indians behaved like rappers.

[MadeinAmericaProud]

Take the time to google how many India people are millionairs.

Over the many years of american taxpayers providing aide to all these countries, some of the money was used to educate these country's people. These same people are now being hired by our american companies for less money becasue they didn't have to pay to educate them, we did.

India have middle class, China has a middle class and we have rich and poor class now. The republican party for many years have used keys words to keep us angry with each other to the point of fighting each other. While corporate/ manufactures in states with low electoral vote counts jobs left first. Now most states have less jobs. We import poison products. the American companies don't inspect these products until after some die. We need aide from other countries now. That what the stimulus check was for.
American and future Americans are now slaves/owe other countries most of our pay checks. Ten trillions .Think about it American we are not a super power. The republican sold it.

[danoj]

So what are ya doing there? Nothin just scratchin ma balls and smellin ma fingers.

[musselmanm]

I hate to get a laugh from a tragic situation but the guy in the picture looks just like a MLB pitcher holding his package!
We are the same the world over!

[HatingTheGame]

"We are the same the world over!"

Um not quite. What we have there is an example of projection (the world in our image) rather than the world as it is.

His world is so far from your ball scratching, jock strap sniffing, juicing baseball world its not even funny.

Just saying.

[danoj]

Tragedy is tragedy man, lighten up a little.