Update: 6 Feb 2009

Dear friends,

We have distributed blankets & clothes at Birpur (4 km from Kosi barrage) today and are returning to Ghospur where we will spend the night. Tomorrow, we will do distributions at Lakshmania & Balua villages where coupon for the same has already been distributed today by Ashok Ji, who is from Dr.Mishra's family.

We will move in to Chatapur day after tomorrow. There is still problems taking a four wheeler there but most of the interior places can be reached by two wheeler.

We didnt have much relief material with us, but we distributed around 200 blankets and 250 dress sets for children which we had in our vehicle, equally at these three places. Ashok Mishra Ji, from Balua has been helping us in local distribution of coupons and subsequent delivery of relief materials.

Anubha Ji, these 250 dresses were the last of 800 dresses send in two consignments from Jalandhar. Thanks a lot.

The cold weather in these areas is slowly wearing off, and more people can be seen in the open..and with Kosi flowing back in its course, things look brighter.

Thanks to all of you who have worked for the Kosi flood relief.

Thanks & regards,
chandan
+91 993 1763 070

Update from Ground Zero

Dear friends,

As you may be aware, Guneshwar Ji has come to Patna to help with the flood relief work. Srikant ji, who has been working with us from the onset, and was slightly hurt in a mishap, had come back to patna yesterday night.Today morning, 600 blankets, 300 new woolen dress set for children, clothes for villagers and other relief materials were sent to Pratapgunj. Guneshwar Ji & Srikant Ji have gone with the materials on a mini truck. The progress is difficult as driving is really taxing.
Presently(9.30 pm),they are at a line hotel near Baidnathpur, 40 KM away from the camp. The visibility is down to about 20 feet because of fog and I have requested them to stay put at the line hotel till daylightDistribution will be done tomorrow at Gwalpada & Pratapgunj. If there are any further delays, Guneshwar Ji & Srikant Ji will decide the distribution accordingly.

I cant thank Guneshwar Ji enough; he came y'day from Gujrat, went to donate blood at Mahavir Cancer hospital, and left today for what I think will be a three days camp.Tells you a lot about the passion that he has for weak, downtrodden and distressed people.And thanks to all of you; it just could not have been possible without your continued & unequivocal support.

Thanks & regards,
`chandan
+919931763070
www.biharfloodrelief2008.blogspot.com
ps ; during last month or so we have distributed around 1300 blankets, apart form other relief materials.

Update from Pratapgunj & Chatapur

We are now moving up to Pratapgunj, we haven't decided the route to be taken ( via Purnea or via Nepal) as we are waiting for confirmation from 9 volunteers who have gone in.This area (Pratapgunj & Chatapur) is the worst affected flood area.
There has been significant improvement in these areas as they are right in the middle of Kosi flow, nearest to Kusaha breach. The water current is still very bad and the villages which suffered the largest causality are in these two blocks.We have been asked to bring 15 life jackets for the volunteers and medicines for flood victims who are still trapped in there.We will be carrying the blankets,shawls and some medicines; but we do not know how we will go inside in the core area. No boats can go in because of very high current, & roads have been swept clean. But, as nine AMURT volunteers have already made it inside and connected with some villages there.. we are going in too, come what may.PFB the list of medicines, if someone can help us with these.. it would be a big help.

As of now, I still keep blankets & woolens as the most important relief materials, so we cannot fund these medicines from what we have.But if someone approaches us or wants to chip in, they can help in purchase of these medicines. These can be sent directly to us or to AMURT office. They can also be sent directly to Pratapgunj camp. I can provide addresses & phone no's should someone need them.
The details of the medicine required for use in Pratapganj and Chatapur blocks. We need both for people & domestic cattle.

All opathic medicines needed are: ORS Sachet
Cifron CT tab.
Ornof O tab.
Metron tab. 400mg
Roxid (150mg) & 50mg
Perinorm tab & syrup
Deriphyllin Amp
Effcorlin (100mg) vial
Crocin tab 500mg, 250mg
Tminic syrup
Polybion syrup
Cobadex
Syphradyn
Combiflam tab, syrup
Ofas syrup, tab
Ofal M syrup
Taxim 'o' tab & syrup
Ordem tab & syrup
Neosporin Powder
Bactroban ointment
Surfaz ointment
Clop GM ointment
Omez cap 20mg
Pantop 40mg tab
Corex 'D' syrup
Grillinctus syrup
Phenyl bottles
Sinarest tab, syrup
Cetriz 10mg tab, syrup
Norflox Tz tab
Benocide forte
Hetrazan tab
Tab. Chloroquinine
Tab. Ranitidine
Tab. Omexozole
For the domesticated animals the medicines needed are
1. Two types of vaccines - HS & BQ
2. Deworming medicine - Albenzazole bolus 3gm, 1.5gm, 500mg
3. Fungal infection - betadine liquid & Lorexen cream
4. Terramycine Bolus 500mg

Thanks & regards,
`chandan
+919931763070
http://www.biharfloodrelief2008.blogspot.com/

PS: Anubha Ji, I could not collect woolen clothes from your place y'day. I will get it collected today. Thank you all for putting in so much time, effort and money for flood relief.

Updates

A fleeting moment of anxiety, perhaps hope; amidst a lifetime of poverty,fear & despondency.                                                                                                                    

I truly hoped that I will be able to give you some good news on flood relief , but not yet... a lot has to be done, specially as villages which were cut off till now have become accessible.


We are working in two areas, both on the same route; Rahata which is 20 KM away from Parwa embankment ( Madhepura) and Harijan tola, which is 10 KM from Rahata.

Since the last report, ITBP personnel have left the area as water level has receded and now one can reach Rahata by road . Although, its still difficult to take a four wheeler there , but carts and bikes can traverse up to Rahata.

We have distributed around 2500 cleaned & packed clothes, 80 KG biscuits, 1200 packets of cerelac,
Medicines, lactogen, chlorine tablets,soluble iodine ointments and 300 woolen caps in this panchayat.
The distribution is being helped by the Sarpanch of the village and that has made relief distribution easy and effective in this area.

We are taking clothes, woolen caps, blankets, cerelac & food grains tomorrow to be distributed at Harijan tola, which is 10 KM from Rahata, but still surrounded by water. The boat has to be changed at two places, and one has to cover around 5 km on foot to reach there. We are assured of help from Rahata sarpanch in form of boat and people to carry the materials' to Harijan tola.

We will be moving to Pratapgunj from there on Wednesday, carrying medicine & biscuits to villages which have been connected somehow by AMURT volunteers.

As the water level is receding, more and more villages are getting connected ; hence people who were taking shelter in relief camps are going back to villages. Occupancy in mega camps is slowly getting down, and in some cases, its only the most poor ,the unfortunate ones who are at these shelters. They have no place to go and nothing as their own.

These flood victims, who have lost everything ( of whatever little they had) are totally dependent on relief camps to survive. They are in shelters provided by our government, fed by our government, medically helped by our government….they are the poorest of the poor; they cant protest, they dont have the energy or will to oppose or choose an alternative shelter.. and they cant keep changing places from one camp to another,they are just too weak for that.

The flood relief administrators had made a commitment to run these camps till the conditions become normal,and I hope they will be doing that, come what may.

There is no clarity on the number of camps closed till date;and people fear that some more camps will be shut down . The apparent reason is that camp occupancy has become less and the people who are in the camp are very few.

Initially these mega camps were occupied by large number of people who were evacuated during the flood.As water started receding, people who could afford boat fare or who had relatives come down to take them back.. started going back to villages by boats, more followed later when water receded fully. In a way, people who could afford physical movement or fiscal incentives to get back to their villages have gone back.Its only the weak, poor and sick victims who cant make it back to their villages, or who don't have a address now in the camps.

There is no doubt about the magnitude and spread of this disaster..and any government would struggle to keep up with increasing demands; but after about three months into relief work, one would expect a more professional and focused effort from the agencies.

The other concern is regarding the status of repair at Kusaha.

It is imperative that the breach be plugged before snow starts melting in Himalayas and Kosi discharge picks up. It is a daunting task..but it has to be done.

If, for some reason, the repair work is not complete before Kosi discharge increases… it will be really bad. All the work that's being done now for rehab and reconstruction of the area will be washed away. The impact on population residing inside Kosi will be disastrous.

We hope that mother nature does not play any more tricks, and that the critical repair work is carried out within the specified time.

Anubha Ji & Kumar Gautam; Thanks so much for sending in funds, We procured woolens from 35K you sent us. A part of it is distributed in Ramganj & Rahata panchayat (Kumarkhund).
We would need more woolens & medecines .


The cattle in these areas are in very bad shape; we have been providing vaccines & deworming medicines to for them from our limited funds,..but they need much more than that. If any of you know of people/organizations who want to provide medicines/ vetenary help for these areas, please share their contact.


~chandan
+919931763070

We would like to thank Mr. Manoj for joining our flood relief work at ground zero level. Thanks a lot Manoj Bhai...

Education centers

Thanks a lot to all our donors, itwould have been very difficult to sustain our little effort without

your help.

Vivek Ji,(Vivek Pandey)thanks so much for all the support and encouragement you have been giving us and e materials you have sent..it helps a lot.

People at Capegemini, your support and prompt dispatch of relief materials have
been really helpful, as has been the quantity & quality of materials that we received and distributed.
There is something about the importance and passion for education in the relief camps which is so
encouraging, and given a bit of support ..there is no limit to the heights this small emerging community commitment can reach.

On the Dafarka embankment, a small classroom started by Pratibha Kumari
has encouraged two more such units on the 4km stretch of temporary shelter
for 1000 odd family living there.

With milk for children,books,notebooks,slate,chessboards,ludo,educational charts
and posters being given to them we expect more students to join these small educational shelters. We plan to start a few more on the nearby embankment settlement in this week.
This is all very exciting, yet humbling, their faith in tomorrow,in government, in you and me..in humanity. People wait for relief to reach at these places, and any delay kind of makes
you feel guilty.These camps are 310 km away from Patna and detours
because of highway Jams are becoming our biggest pain..but at least we
have a traversable road and a tireless crew to reach out to almost any of these camps.
This is not a regular monsoon flooding. This is a river changing course, taking the shortest route to discharge into the plains..into the ganges..and this river is coming untamed right from the Himalayan kingdom. This picture( google earth) shows the location of Kosi barrage, with left and right discharge canal system. The white color on the blue river image is SILT. Lots and lots of SILT. Kosi brings in huge amount of silt collected from catchment areas in nepal( ~ 86%) and India(~14%)

The breach happened about 12 km upstream of the main barrage, at the point where you see one broad blue band across the river bed where the Kosi crosses from the left flank to
right ( pic 4)), almost at center of picture. The width and location of the breach can be seen in the satellite picture (pic 5)


The width of breach is about 20 km. The new course of Kosi thus formed is
5 times wider than its older version and is slashing right across the heart
of kosi belt, almost perpendicularly south, meeting Ganges near Naugachia.
It almost seems like a ox bow lake of gigantic proportion...but it
isnt. Its something freaky.. the way a 10-20 meter initial breach can change the
course of humanity for more than 20 hundred thousand people ( Yes, thats two million) ...and more..its freaky, its unfortunate, it could have been avoided and its definitely not 'Natural' calamity. This might be the result of cumulation of small oversights from many years in the past. The future is shaky too, but its something that we can try to shape..cant we ?
We are working on education & childcare in some small distant relief settlements, we aim to build a basic structure for small centers of education. We have already initiated three such centers..and we look forward to do a few more.

We look forward to your help and suggestions.

ALERT : A driving licence,ID card and some important documents belonging to Mr.G.Poornachander of Rajiv chowk, Karimnagar,Hyderabad, Andhra pradesh was found in the clothes sent by Capegemini,(Kolkata/Pune/Mumbai). If anyone knows Mr. G.Poonachander, please ask him to contact us asap.

Bihar Flood Relief - Update from Ground Zero

Every flood affected district has mega 100’s camps running. Situation is improving. Our team is in touch with AOL (Art of Living) and Mandan Bharthi Jagriti samaj camp. But these operations are still restricted to urban areas. Other team is constantly looking at essential requirements that we can provide based on need and our capacity.

Now in addition to water purification tablets, essential medicines and baby milk powder we has decide to provide cloths for adolescent children, specially girls. We are concentrating on essential needs of women’s and children and team will take call based on the assessment of ground situation.

Today Guneshwar Ji (along with his friend) is going to Saharsha from Patna. They are carrying about 500 piece of cloths for children’s and baby milk powder. Guneshwar Ji will visit Mandan Bharthi Jagrithi Samaj relief camp at Saharsa today. We are expecting more requirements from Guneshwar Ji by end of the day.

Thanks to Guneshwar Ji and his friend for coming all the way from Ahmedabad and joining the team at ground.
Regards,
Vivek

Requirements from Ground Zero

Pen, pencil, copybooks, other stationary items that's needed for small classrooms and students to class 3 , basically pencils,eraser,sharpeners and notebooks. clothing, specially underclothing for adolescent children, specially girls, soap shampoo hair oil comb nail cutters toothbrush paste vitamin supplements; The mega camps being put up by the govt is coming up well (touchwood !!) and now there are mini communities living within them. All these people hav lost everything, so they hav to start afresh. We are concentrating mainly on the women and children part as of now. UNICEF and RED CROSS are doing good work out in the pockets we are working, saharsa n purnia. Goonj is also doing really good work..they are based at saharsa and are distributing many of the things i mentioned above.

Update from Ground Zero

Despite the biggest manpower and agencies here, chlorine is not available.Yesterday, Sangeeta di, head of AOL(Art of Living), carried 150000 chlorine tablets and 40000 Si Dicor tablets to banmanki camp, Purnia, where they areworking with the Armed forces. Most of relief efforts carried out from there is in villages deep inside. Doctors from Army and Bangalore AOL chapter go there in shifts. Outside of some govt camps are tons of cloth lying in the open, rotting. Yet many are without clothes at other places. Saharsa, Supaul, Madhepur, Forbesgunj...you have literally 100's of camps. Political parties have their own camps..and they woo in victims with jalebi,puri,rice, dal,papad..kind of stuff u find in marriages. Thats great...people have choices now...they walk around n take their pick. But that doesn't bother Shaka's and bhandaaras which served them kitchri wen no one was there. Thats the good part..and that is mostly restricted to towns. Inside the flooded kosi belly are the main people who need help..and those are being undertaken by few committed organizations. That is where we give our supplies to. All the camps in city hav more than what they need..that's the fact...and maybe after sometime...these will find a way to interiors too..but not now. Guneshwar and friends want to work..they will join us from sunday.
chlorine has started to come in from day before yesterday...and most of them are already segmented and ready for dispatch. in fact,we are doing good..and the more hands we hav, the better it is to reach more areas. Its the delay in transportation thats causing up problems. There is never going to be enough for everyone out here. Regarding milk and baby food, you will get the responce from ppl who are using it soon..and you will be pleased to have put the money where it was needed.

Send Medicines required in Bihar Flood Relief Camps

We have received request for following medicines. We are planning to send all the below mentioned medicines in a day or so.
-------------------------------------

1.Metronidazole Oral Suspension 60ml ;250x6.8:

Forbacteria and other microorganisms that cause infections of the reproductive trct, intestine, and other areas

2.Povidone Iodine Ointment :15 gm:500pc

Anti- bacterial application

3.Trimethoprim & Sulphamethaxole Syrup 60 ml.230x6.8

UTI infections, specially in children

5.Silver Sulfadiazine Cream 500 gm.;25x150

Antibiotic. As a cream it is used on the skin to prevent or treat serious infection.

Send baby Milk Powder for Children in Bihar Flood Relief Camps

Details of supply and dispatch of medicines:
These were the medicines delivered at Forbesgunj on 29th of aug.
Chlorine tables=90,000
ORS(Biotral)= 1180
Bioton syrup =499 pc of 60ml each
Paracetimol= 1000 tabs
Biospas tabs= 300
Toyodom= 450
Tonact tabs=500
One life jacket.
Things are slightly better at Forbesgunj now, there are seven relief camps running over there.
In the relief camps, its the infants n childrens who are most vulnerable, so would request to send milk powder and baby food( infant formula) if possible.

Would like to thank Guneshwar (Ahmedabad) who has been a constant touch throughout these two weeks. He went ahead,funded himself, sourced the supplier from interior Gujrat, procured them and has sent 50 life jackets and rescue ropes.In the comind days these will be our most important accessories.
He also sent some very effective homeopath medicines for snake bites. That was really an eye opener.
Out of many snake species out here, only four are venomous. During a flood, when a small non inundated area is the only dry place, all living organisms take shelter there. This is a hotbed for bites from snakes, scorpions, centipedes and the like.
Most of the snakebites are misdiagnosed because of water, darkness, confusion and of course the flood trauma. So when a patient is lucky enough to be taken to a hospital, many times wrong diagnosis do cause more harm than good. I mean if you are bitten by a non-poisonous snake, and bite marks are not clear, and one is nervous and hyperventilating, doctors have a very tough and risky judgment to make. whether or not to administer an anti venom and for which species ?
In such circumstances, the suggestions sent by Guneshwar r very handy
People like Guneshwar, Raj/ Manish, Alok, Sandeep and countless others are the real backbone of our state. They inspire others.
Then there are people like Vivek (Bangalore) ,who just called up, asked for what we needed, and has sent milk & baby food for the most susceptible of the flood victims ; the infant and the children.
Unknown names, they just drop in and help you; There's an Indian origin doctor from the US of A who wants to work for flood victims, an American web designer from Tamil nadu.. they just want to chip in. People like Dr.Goswaamy, whom we source our chlorine from, goes out of his way to ensure we have the fresh stock of tablets, at the cheapest rates and he pays for the freight. He’s from Bhopal, owns Hind Pharma, is aware of all the developments of flood in our state. When you talk to him,you can feel the pain and compassion in his voice. Humanity? You bet.
That’s my India. .thats the 'dhak-dhak' you will hear when you come close to the ground
That’s the beat of humanity.
I have met some wonderful people in this fortnight of darkness, destruction and death in bihar.
I have seen the grit, the sheer determination to hang on, to claw their way back, to fight against all odds and triumph over death, and still offer Prayers to the river that caused all this.
Where else can you find this kind of forgiveness, this depth of longing, of belonging, of attachment to ones motherland?
And once in a while, when we are not busy managing our luggage, we long for our homeland, our Bihar….and then we feel the void. It hurts.
Thanks to Rajiv,Vivek & Ashok,Ajit n Divyanshu (24x7) team, you guys are putting graveyard shifts to shame:) and to all those who have been guiding us.

t&r
+`chandan
+919934763070

Today's flood status release,Bihar Govt

Update from Patna Team

Dear friends,
The water levels have reduced in most of the affected areas.The new kosi is merging with Ganges at two points now, old and the new merging points. This acts as a buffer for the whole region and incidences of sudden spurt of water level will minimise.The reduced water level also brings in increase in chances of water borne infections. The most vulnerable sections are the infants and young children who are malnourished and exhausted by continuous exposure to extreme hardship.We have asked our friends to send milk powder, baby food supplements and the type to help these children to stabilize and recuperate properly. These children have already been exposed for up to 14 days extreme weather conditions and acute shortage of food.Guneshwar ji (Ahmedabad) and Vinod ji(Bangalore) have already sent/ are sending these for the children. All these products will be personally delivered to(primarily) women and children welfare camps in Supaul district; namely Birpur,Pratap gunj and Chatapur blocks. Chatapur is still out of reach and we hope the army will get in there today. Am attaching pictures of medicines sent to Forbasegunj. As reported, Forbasegunj is well equipped with supplies now,hence we will be starting with baby food at Supaul. I should be receiving 2nd consignment of chlorine( 3 lak tablets) today. I will update the details after receiving them.
t&r,
+`chandan
+919931763070

Needed volunteers who are good swimmers

We are still in evacuation phase. For that we may need two volunteers who are good swimmers.
Later this week, when we start the relief work, we can use their help in making relief packets for distribution,.
Best would be if you e-mail ID their contact no, or ask the team leader to send their contact number, Phone connectivity is slightly awry here.
I'll b leaving for chatapur( near forbesgunj) as soon as I get the life jackets & ropes.

Thanks.
+`chandan +919931763070

At Ground at Forbasegunj

Forbasegunj relief imitative;
Dr. Manish, Mr.Raj, Mr.Alok are residents of Forebasegunj who have been working tirelessly
for the last 14 days in rescuing and helping the flood victims in the vicinity of Forbesgunj, including Bir pur where the breach took place.

This is the town that stood up as one in their fight against this natural disaster. Their videos
posted on Youtube gives the first visuals of the severity of this deluge. They have been fighting ceaselessly, a show of determination and mental strength that is difficult to describe. They have fought for every inch, put their life on hold for every life they could save. Another such person is Mr. Sanjeev Srivastav, an industrialist who rushed from Kolkata as fast as he could. Mr. Srivastav, a strong swimmer and a dedicated relief worker is trying his best to rescue and help as many people in any way he can.

He has motivated many youths there along with Manish,Alok & Raj and now they a strong 20 men team who are working round the clock for rescue people. There is a need for a larger relief camp at Forbasegunj. We hope to get that started very soon. For people and agencies that can help them.

Regarding the fatalities, only an estimate can be given at this point of time. According to Sahara TV, who have special correspondent in the effected area, it is feared that even lak people might have perished (Yesterday 7pm live news bulletin) . I would pray that he is wrong and the official figure is the right one. What we have at hand is still a massive evacuation of millions stranded in the Kosi, and their subsequent rehab.

Lets work on that as best as we can.

Kosi 's curse; Pictures tell the story..

Bihar floods-day 13

This deluge is turning out to be one of the worst natural calamity that this state has ever witnessed.Huge number of people and animals have been affected. Thousands of people have been feared dead, and the loss of animal life cant even be estimated.This has to be one of the largest flash flood ...3 million people are still trapped and have to be evacuated .Today Nepal released 2.5 million cusecs of water, and water level has gone up by another three feet.At places the depth of water in farming areas where crops were standing 15 days ago is under 12-14 feet water and the current of water is comparative to ritcher 5 of earthquake intensity.

Chandan Singh
From Ground Zero
+91-99317 63070
+91-612 6450916

Update from Ground- 30th Aug 2008

Nepal has released 2.5 million cusecs of water just now.
Water levelnear Forbesgunj has risen by 3 feet in less than one hour. Forbeshgunjis critical now.Beldaur at Supaul -Khagaria border is taking water.Supaul is cut off. Probably Forbesgunj too. News people says lakhs dead, govt of bihar disasterrelief website reports 15 human deaths and zero livestock death. I myself have seen more than 200 cattle death. The speed and quantity at which rotting dead bodies are surfacing,epidemic is imminent, we will be concentrating more on ORS n chlorinein coming days.Army is doing its job, but these personnel are not from Bihar andbecause of lack of local knowledge of river current, its a very riskyevacuation.The relief camps are the only good news, ppl who have reached thereare being taken good care. But you will not see a single smiling face,All these people have lost someone or the other.News channels have started evacuating people now, because they areseeing what is inevitable.Its raining heavily, death is everywhere.Where is our Airforce ? The mighty Indian AF ? They spend more fuel inflying daily sorties than what will be needed to evacuate thousands ofpeople. Where is our Navy .. which is credited as being one of thebest equipped relief n rescue agencies in the world.Who is stopping them from doing what a small country like Sudan( andin fact Nepal)are doing for its citizens.What are we... flood fodders ?Both the central n state govt. has been very insensitive to therequirements of hapless biharies.Out of 30 laks that should have been evacuated., only 3.5 laks havebeen evacuated till now. Agencies have three days to evacuate as manyas possible...cause after that there will ... what can I say... u canread it in papers then.PRAY, Pray for the thousands who have perished, pray for those whohave been trapped on marooned islands getting eroded from both sides,waiting for the final slide that will take them to their watery grave.Pray for 5000 navy boats tomorrow, pray for your brothers. ..Pray for a miracle.Meanwhile, we are doing all we can. Bihari people have shown grit anddetermination that few in the world can match...everyone who can helpis doing, without thinking about their lives. These unknown faces arethe hero ...the beacon that shines bright in this fortnight ofdarkness and death.All of you who can contact your home in Bihar,specially in nearbyareas in Kosi belt, ask them about any information on places wherepeople may be trapped.We will try our best to help them.I thank friends for all the support that they are giving..every second counts.
For relief contact
Mr Parvez Alam,(Dep.Collector flood relief cell)
+919431185767
Aapda prabandhan cell
0612-2217305/2215027/6452572

Red cross society in your area

09204060740,
floodhelpdesk@hindustantimes.com

chandan
9931763070
0612 6450916

Update from ground 27th Aug 2008

Dear friends,
I could not reach Forbasegunj, our vehicle was almost washed away near Naugachia, but it was our fault as we chose the wrong route. I am sending the following medicines to Forbesgunj by train, hopefully it should reach Forbesgunj by tomorrow evening:

Chlorine water purification tablets- 120000
Paracetamol 1000ORS 1000B complex 1000Entroquinol 500Domperidon 500Cetrizin 500Pot. Permanganate 1000
Life jackets, along with stuff like matchboxes, candles etc.
Situation is getting worse, with a new breach of about 1.5 km on the eastern canal system.
Senior irrigation department officials are camping near Bhimnagar acanalj in Nepal for the last week and now they have started to contain or at least try to contain the damage. Hindustan construction is doing the same on the western wing.
The whole eastern canal system is severely damaged. It will take at least four months to contain despite best efforts. The devastation on Nepal side is less and the government and the army there are undertaking the relief work in systematic and planned way.
Bihar government is also doing credible job given the magnitude of the problem, but that just aint enough. All of us have to chip in with whatever we can. Main requirement now are boats, they are the lifeline. People are stranded 20-30 km away, in the interiors . There are vast areas which are unattended because of lack of power boats.
I wont dwell on negatives, we hav to move on and stay positive, focussed and consistent. This catastrophy is going to linger around for a long time. Bihar Govt, SSB, ITBP, NDMT and other sub govt agencies are doing their best, but the magnitude of this flood drawfs all effort.
Today, despite their best effort, less than 10000 people were resqued. The struggle is on. To make matters worse, its started to rain again. I wil be leaving for Forbesgunj again on friday. To those who want to reach those areas, one of the best roure is through Nepal ( Patna-Muzaffarpur,Darbhanga, Jainagar ( Nepal Border), Inarwa, Biratnagar, Forbesgunj (India) This route crosses Kosi river above Biratnagar barrage in Nepal, its the safest way to cross Kosi.
I am attaching letters by Raj/ Manish sent today;

Dear Chandan,

After 1 week of our futile deliberately trying to tell different News agencies about the graveness of the situation in this part of the country, they have now all of a sudden (when one minister starts to call this more devastating than Tsunami) started to pour their stories some of which is still far from the ground reality. Actually the situation is worse. Think about flood taking away a member of ur family, ur cattles, home and after all this u stay surrounded all around by water, no way to escape, without food already for 7 days waiting for rescue team in vain. This is the situation of more than many lacs population. My brother called me up today from a place and cried trying to explain me their situation. Government cannot handle this alone or they stared it too late i.e only yesterday, 8 day after the disaster struck. They are actually too inefficient, too selfish, and undevoted. What we need is dedicated NGO's who can come here quickest and flood the place and start. Flood Victims who have been rescued have lost their homes and everything. They need food, shelter, clothes, for at least few days.
So we need 2 important things now.
1. Dedicated people here, who can come here soonest, have got the experience with flood relief and with rescue effort.

2. At Forbesganj we need to start a relief camp, a large one, which is well organized and maintained. We need Ur help on this one.

-Dr Manish
............................................................................
Dear Mr. Chandan
The water level and the inundated area keep on fluctuating depending upon the direction and water quantity in the flow.

All the rescue and relief work is concentrated at SURSAR, making it an ideal and model of rescue and relief camp. Other interior area is still waiting; whatever comes first- the death or the relief.

People, trapped in the river has started realizing that this is not flood but the river and are willing to leave the place before they die out of thrust, hunger and disease but there is inadequate rescue boats and team. Many villages are still unattended and the inhabitants must be hopeless about their survival. Dead bodies, not only of animals, but also of HUMAN are stuck in shrubs and decaying in water. People consuming contaminated water have started suffering diarrhoea. Victims have taken shelter on the banks of canals, Road sides etc. in dense condition. Their unhygienic habits and lack of sanitation is worsening the situation.
Epidemic like cholera etc. is bound to break.
The rescued and escaped victims are now in a dilemma as to where to go and what to do.
The question for them is 'what after rescue?'
Need is to run huge relief camps at bigger towns like Forbesganj where the victims from rescue point may be referred and entertained till their rehabilitation.
This is a long term and extensive work which requires not only huge funds and manpower but also the expertise and Team to handle such mega project.
-Alok

You can get in touch with them by phone or by email (raj_abets@yahoo.com)

All the medicines that have been bought are from flood relief collections last year, and I again thank everyone for helping the flood victims Special thanks to One Bihar team for having continued with flood relief work. The main requirement which is going to be determinative in saving lives are Boats and life jackets.
I do understand the pain and helplessness of all of you who are not here,and cannot do much about this tragedy.The strength and integrity of a society comes to the fore at times like these... and l can proudly say that Bihar and Biharis have NOT given up.They are fighting for every inch as they battle Kosi. They are fighting for the impossible, but they are fighting.
I am also proud that our CM has stood up and is leading the fightback with all that our poor state can conjure. He was the first to tell exactly how bad the situation was and how important it was for the people residing in the new path of Kosi to leave everything and evacuate immediately.This has saved thousands of lives.
The struggle for life goes on. Do not give up, do not stop from trying to do anything that you can, including prayers, for the life of millions who are stranded directly in the path of a hungry relentless river taking in water at the rate of 100000 cubic feet per second and levelling anything that is in its path.
~chandan

Update from ground 26th Aug 2008

Dear friends,

The flood situation in the kosi belt is very bad, and is going to get worse in the coming days.
The DM of Madhepura has ordered evacuation of Madhepura town and its surrounding areas. This order comes after water entered Madhepura today evening and water level is increasing sharply. This decision by the DM came as the government authorities were not prepared for such situation. The worst hit amongst the evacuees are the flood victims who had come to Madhepura to take refuge as their villages were washed away.

The people of Madhepura town do not know where to go, and the administration has no clue either. A few days back, all prisoners from Saharsa were moved to Madhepura as a precautionary measure. It is to be seen that where these prisoners will be shifted after Madhepura's evacuation.

As an immediate step, 10 lakh people have to evacuated otherwise they will perish. Bihar CM wants all affected people to be evacuated first, as they fear that as the water level rises, the victims cannot be reached in any way.

Mr.Nitish Kumar said that the situation is very bad, and if the flow and level of water increases, immediate step would be for people to move away from danger areas before its too late. It will not be possible to save stranded people if there is increased flow of water in flood hit areas. He said that the main priority now is to evacuate the people from those areas.

He said that areas of Supaul, Madhepura, Ararari, Purnea are badly affected, and if water keeps increasing and meets near Kursaila, then portions of Purnia and Katihar will also be badly affected. In total, 20-25 lakh people will be affected by this flood. About a dozen districts are badly affected. 16 blocks and 168 panchayat 470 villages from Supaul ,Madhepura and Araria districts are severely damage &
Army has been deployed in these districts.

I appeal to you to spread the word around and if possible, try to help the flood victims. I have been in constant touch with some people from Forbesgunj who have uploaded video clips on you tube, the links are given below:

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=skPVkqADBCY&NR=1
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=TW5ggTb9YOE
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=TW5ggTb9YOE

I am attaching email by Mr.Raj, whom I am in touch for the five- sixdays. The communication network is very bad, but somehow emails are getting through.
================================================

Raj Kumar Aug 22 (2 days ago) Forbesgunj
to Chandan
date Aug 22, 2008 7:33 PM

Dear Chandan,
Many villages have nearly been washed away & it is predicted that more water will enter the area from canals that r on the verge of breaking up. I cannot give u the exact figure but thousands of people r already dead. It is very difficult to reach out to them due to lack of convenience like boat.
Many people r on the roof starving for food which is difficult to be delivered. Except by airway. If u have a strong team who has the experience & determination to help in this situation of flood relief than pls come n help us to help them in the best possible way.
The farmers have lost their crops & home.
The boat facility is, limited to 2 speed boats supplied by the SSB. Otherwise the area was not prepared to face such a huge calamity.
From patna u can catch the train to Katihar n then next train to forbesganj. I appreciate ur willingness to help at such short notice. Effected areas--- Balua, Birpur, Chhatapur, Phulkaha, and all nearby areas.
Would be in need of chlorine tablets
............................................................................
On Aug 25

While appreciating your concern, I am giving hereunder the list of required medicines:
paracetamol 1000,spasmonil 500ORS 1000+B complex 1000entroquinol 500domperidon 500cetrizin 500
cough syrup (anti-tussive/anti allergic) 1000
Bleaching powder
Chlorine tablets
Pot. Permanganate
Sir, what is required more than medicines is the proper media coverage. In fact this is not flood. The Koshi has taken new route through the break and will continue to flow throughout the rainy season or till the repair.

The most unfortunate is the temperament and attitude of authorities. When we went to Officer in charge Dr. H.K. Singh at Local referral hospital, busy seeing patients in his private clinic, for Bleaching powder, Chlorine tablets, Pot. Permanganate etc., he was indifferent and declined about the availability of anything. The flood was well forseen and it has past about a week. Is it not astonishing that in spite of all claims of preparations by our C.M., the reality is just otherwise.

No drinking water is made available in to the trapped area, forcing the occupants to drink flood water. This is spreading diarrhea.

General Motorboats are ineffective in shallow water containing shrubs (disturbing the rotor blades) and the current makes chappu boat difficult. The causality rate is very high and the remaining lives are striving hard for survival. What we are worried is the epidemic which is bound to follow the incident.

Rest when we meet.

-Alok
Friend of Raj
===================================================

I will be leaving for Forbeshgunj shortly with medicines and water purifiers. If anyone needs any information from my end, mail me or call me at 9931763070 or email

Given below are the telephone numbers of Disaster management cell at Patna
0612-2215027
0612-2217305
0612-6452572

Please try to spread the word around and I am sure people will come forward and help the flood victims.

Thanks,
chandan
9931763070

Update on 25th Aug

This mail came from forbesgunj today;
While appreciating your concern, I am giving hereunder the list of required medicines:

paracetamol 1000,spasmonil 500ORS 1000+B complex 1000entroquinol 500domperidon 500cetrizin 500cough syrup (anti-tussive/anti allergic) 1000Bleaching powderChlorine tabletsPot. PermanganateSir, what is required more than medicines is the proper media coverage. In fact this is not flood. The Koshi has taken new route through the break and will continue to flow throughout the rainy season or till the repair.The most unfortunate is the temperament and attitude of authorities. When we went to Officer in charge Dr. H.K. Singh at Local referral hospital, busy seeing patients in his private clinic, for Bleaching powder, Chlorine tablets, Pot. Permanganate etc., he was indifferent and declined about the availability of anything. The flood was well forseen and it has past about a week. Is it not astonishing that in spite of all claims of preparations by our C.M., the reality is just otherwise.No drinking water is made available in to the trapped area, forcing the occupants to drink flood water. This is spreading diarrhea.General Motorboats are ineffective in shallow water containing shrubs (disturbing the rotor blades) and the current makes chappu boat difficult.The causality rate is very high and the remaining lives are striving hard for survival. What we are worried is the epidemic which is bound to follow the incident.Rest when we meet.-AlokFriend of Raj

I am arranging for medecines locally, consignmemt from Bhopal has not come in yet. I'll be leaving soon for kisangunj. If any of you know people in media, please ask them to have a look at Kisangunj.I had talked to them 2 days back, and had sent the contact to Alok/Raj then. They assured that they would be going there but have not as of today.

Flood situation worsens

The floods in kosi belt have caused massive damage.
The embankment breach and subsequent influx of huge water body has already claimed more than 4000 people. The situation has worsened because of the current of water,and widening of breached embankment...water is still flowing in.

At Forbesgunj, 2 boats were made available by SSB for relief..but the current has sunk the boat and its occupants. When the breach occurred a few days back, people rushed to high grounds for safety. The initial first breach. which was about 10 m wide opened up to more than 1500 meters within hours.Now, its impossible to plug it.. in a way, the river has changed its course and is flowing right into the heart of kosi belt.

I am afraid that thousands of people who has taken shelter on high grounds near the embankment would have been washed away by yesterday night as erosion and landslides have levelled down everything in the path.

I've been in constant touch with Raj at forbesgunj; the people there have arranged material for relief and are trying their best to help, but they just cant get in the water. Airdropping was the only option till yesterday.

There has been no media coverage, and the govt. which was very quiet , has at least accepted the fact and are rushing in team after team and conducting meeting after meeting.

Irrigation dept had rushed personnel to help its present staff near valmiki barrage and biratnagar, about 5 days back.. .but they were chased off by Nepali citizens.

Nepal has been very uncooperative since the change of government.

I had tried to call all media channels and newspapers as was requested by people at Forbesgunj. I hope they send in their teams to cover the damage.

Thousands of bodies are floating around, and when the water level subsides people will be able to see the magnitude of this tragedy.

I have sent chlorine tablets & ORS by train to Forbesgunj yesterday ..my colleague would be able to give more details once he reaches there.


Flood relief at Aurai block (Muzaffarpur) was undertaken smoothly...and stopped now as situation is much better & local govt. bodies are well equipped.

I am attaching a mail by Mr.Raj, whom I am in touch for the last three- four days. The communication network is very bad, but somehow emails are getting through.

I may be leaving for forbesgunj on monday/ tuesday, once I receive chlorene tablets consignment from Bhopal.

Raj Kumar Aug 22 (2 days ago) Forbesgunj

to Chandan

date Aug 22, 2008 7:33 PM


Many villages have nearly been washed away & it is predicted that more water will enter the area from canals that r on the verge of breaking up. I cannot give u the exact figure but thousands of people r already dead. It is very difficult to reach out to them due to lack of convenience like boat.

Many people r on the roof starving for food which is difficult to be delivered. Except by airway. If u have a strong team who has the experience & determination to help in this situation of flood relief than pls come n help us to help them in the best possible way.

The farmers have lost their crops & home.

The boat facility is, limited to 2 speed boats supplied by the SSB. Otherwise the area was not prepaired to face such a huge calamity.

From patna u can catch the train to Katihar n then next train to forbesganj.

I appreciate ur willingness to help at such short notice.



Effected areas--- Balua, Birpur, Chhatapur, Phulkaha, and all nearby areas.

Would be in need of chlorine tablets


+
`chandan
9931763070