Community kitchens, boat ambulances: Bihar copes with floods that have hit 22 lakh

Over 22 lakh people in 12 districts of Bihar have been affected by recent floods. In response, the state government has ramped up relief and rescue efforts. The number of community kitchens has increased from 80 to 190 in a single day.

The affected regions span across 70 blocks and 368 gram panchayats in areas including Patna, Bhojpur, Saran, Vaishali, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, Buxar, Samastipur, Munger, Katihar, Lakhisarai and Arwal. Livestock have been washed away and public infrastructure has suffered significant damage. Property losses are estimated in the thousands of crores.

RJD national working president has called for the disaster to be declared a "national disaster" and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit the state to assess the situation. Vigilance along Ganga embankments has been heightened in five districts.

The state has deployed 1,429 boats for transport and evacuation, with 171 medical camps now operational. In Saran district, one of the most impacted areas, 2,33,511 people in 109 villages have been affected. Ten teams of the National Disaster Response Force and 27 teams of the State Disaster Response Force are deployed in different districts.

Special arrangements have been made for children at community kitchen relief camps. In Patna district, 25 community kitchens have served over 70,000 people. Heightened vigilance is being maintained along Ganga embankments in Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Munger, Bhagalpur and Katihar, as water levels could impact downstream areas.