Over 70,000 evacuated in Bihar

Flood situation under control, no need to panic: Govt

Patna/New Delhi: Over 70, 000 people have been evacuated in Bihar so far amid a flood alert in Kosi river following a landslide in neighbouring Nepal.

The state government, though, said that the "situation is under control" and "there is no need to panic".

Food, tents in short supply
Two days ago, Misrana Khatoon and her family, residents of Bihar's Ghuran village, made it to the eastern Kosi embankment in Supaul district. They are among the 70,000 people the Bihar government has evacuated in anticipation of a flood in the Kosi river.

On Saturday, nine people have died in Nepal following a landslide caused by torrential rains. The landslide created a mud dam blocking Nepal's Sunkoshi river, which runs into Bihar as the Kosi. The fear is that as Nepal tries to clear it through controlled blasts, it will unleash a torrent of water in Kosi, endangering around 400,000 people across Bihar.

While Bihar government's evacuation efforts have been timely, Misrana says the arrangements at the relief camps leave something to be desired. The supply of food is erratic. Plus, there is a shortage of tents. For the last two days, the family - Misrana, her two children and husband - has been using their own tarpaulin sheets to sleep.

The government is doing everything it can to help those in relief camps, said Vyas ji, secretary of the state's disaster management department.

"We are shifting people from the areas where water is expected to reach," said Ashok Kumar, an officer at the disaster management unit. Altogether, 117 relief camps have been set up across seven districts.

Six columns of the Indian Army are being moved to the possible area of impact. A C-17 military aircraft with medical teams is also on its way. A team of six experts have reached Nepal to assess the situation.