"Bihar: Floods wreak havoc in Vaishali, Saran districts; people displaced, crops damaged"
― Economic Times
Did you know that Bihar is one of the most flood-prone states in India? This fact is evidenced by the infamous annual tradition of the Bihar floodings. Every year, these terrifying natural disasters wreak havoc on all the innocent and especially unfortunate villagers residing near its place of conquest. However, this year, the disaster is much more disastrous.
Usually, the cause of these floods, that is the rainfall, occur in July and August, however this year they came in June. Being at the very start of the monsoon season, the effects were tremendously harmful on the low-lying areas such as the Vaishali, Champaran, Muzaffarpur and numerous more districts near Patna. Furthermore, rainfall was astronomically high. To be precise, June 2021 suffered 354.4 millimetres, which is 111% more than expected for the month. This caused the increase in the water levels of all major rivers such as the Bagmati, Koshi, Kamla Balan, Lakhadei and Bhuthi Balan.
These floods have caused tremendous pain to the citizens near it as most of their income depended on the crops the floods have now ruined. Several vegetables such as Ladyfinger, Eggplant, Bitter gourd, Pumpkin and Sugarcane have perished. Crops such as maize and paddy seedlings have been damaged greatly. Moreover, white sand now covers the agricultural fertile fields which are going to be a tough challenge. Several housing facilities and other important strictures have also been flooded making the living conditions unbearable. Last but certainly not least, the floods have also caused quite a few deaths including one of a 1 and ½-year-old girl.
Despite the aforementioned horrifying situation, the government has yet to announce a planned response. Villagers are panicking in concern of the economic loss and the structural damages. Regardless, the government remains quiet and has not announced the amount of compensation as a proper assessment has not yet been made. Inspiringly, many charity organizations are doing their best to raise awareness of the issue and assist the victims of this great disaster in dealing with it. A donation to organizations such as ActionAidIndia and Chief Minister Relief Fund or fundraisers such as those on Milaap can go a long way.
It is clear from the above-mentioned that the Bihar floods are a severe issue and in dire need of attention. As students, the best way for us to contribute to the solving of the problem is to raise awareness of it. One can do so by bringing up the topic in class, writing or speaking about it on a public platform or simply informing one's friends about it. We must remember that as members of this noble community, we must work together and support everyone in need of our help in every way we can. This crisis needs to be resolved and every little step towards the well-being and happiness of the unfortunate villagers in Bihar is fundamental.
Bibliography:
The Economic Times
Gaon connection
Downtoearth.org
The Times of India
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