PATNA(National Times)- Flooding in India\u2019s eastern Bihar state has affected nearly five million people, officials said on Tuesday as aid was being sent the worst-hit areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bihar is among India\u2019s most flood-prone states and all seven of its key rivers measured above their \u201cdanger level\u201d on Tuesday after heavy rain, according to the state water resources department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFood, clean drinking water, medicines, and other essential facilities are being continuously provided to the needy families,\u201d Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Bihar\u2019s deputy chief minister, said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said 7,000 rupees ($72) each had been transferred to more than 827,000 flood-affected families in the state. Nearly five million people have been affected by floods, according to figures from Bihar\u2019s Disaster Management Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The government\u2019s \u201cpriority is that every affected family gets flood relief and reconstruction work is done with a spirit of building back better\u201d, Choudhary said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Flooding began this month and local media have reported 20 deaths, while officials said swaths of farmland have been swamped. Bihar is downstream from Nepal, which suffered deadly flooding last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFlood is our fate, every year we face it,\u201d said Chandan Kumar Mahto, 46, a resident of Saran district. \u201cWe are helpless\u2026 we are struggling for food, safe drinking water and milk for children.\u201d Bihar\u2019s government is made up of a coalition of parties, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s Bharatiya Janata Party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It said it had opened 13 relief camps, with more than 1,000 community kitchens and nearly 1,800 boats deployed in flood-hit areas. Modi has sent a federal government team to conduct a \u201cdetailed assessment of damages\u201d, officials said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PATNA(National Times)- Flooding in India\u2019s eastern Bihar state has affected nearly five million people, officials said on Tuesday as aid was being sent the worst-hit areas. Bihar is among India\u2019s most flood-prone states and all seven of its key rivers measured above their \u201cdanger level\u201d on Tuesday after heavy rain, according to the state water […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":133177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-133175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n