Umesh Kumar Ray

Umesh Kumar Ray
MNREGA helps a village in Bihar become flood proof
United action of locals, wisdom of the village head and MNREGA help to deal with waterlogging in a village in Bihar.
Posted on 20 Sep, 2020 07:08 AM

Harpur Bochha is a village in Vidyapatinagar block of Samastipur district of Bihar. The village, which has a population of about 11.5 thousand people and  2349 houses, remained inundated with rain and floodwater throughout the year followed by waterlogging.

MNREGA comes to the rescue of Harpur Bochha (Source: Umesh Kumar Ray)
Satyagrah by the river calls for action against erosion
River erosion, so intense, that the whole village is in danger. As the government’s help seems a distant dream, locals carry out Satyagrah to expose their plight to the authorities.
Posted on 12 Sep, 2020 08:42 AM

Since last week, people of Birjain village have been protesting against erosion by the river bank. They are demanding that the government should put in efforts to prevent river erosion and save their houses, otherwise they will continue with their Satyagrah and perform Jal Samadhi (suicide by drowning). Sattore, a flood-prone Panchayat has about 3000 houses.

Satyagrah by the river (Image source: Umesh K Ray)
All hopes lost for the flood-hit in Bihar
People in Bihar are struggling with the floods for a month now, while the government has turned a blind eye to their plight.
Posted on 11 Sep, 2020 08:06 AM

“We went through a lot of trouble over the month. By God’s grace, we are still surviving."

Havoc of floods in Saharsa (Source: Umesh K Ray)
Swollen rivers engulf houses and erode banks wreaking havoc in Bihar
Swollen rivers engulf houses and erode banks in Bihar while the government turns a blind eye to this annual misery.
Posted on 04 Sep, 2020 08:16 PM

Floods coupled with erosion increase the woes of Bihar

Erosion due to floods in Ganga river (Source: Umesh Kumar Ray)
With no food on their plate, people seek government help
Incessant rains and floods continue to batter Bihar killing people and livestock, while putting more lives at risk as people continue to wait for government help.
Posted on 20 Aug, 2020 04:44 PM

For about last three weeks, Dhananjay Kumar along with his wife and children have been living on the embankment under their plastic shed following the late night July floods that submerged their house.

Flood water enters Chanchalia village. (Image source: Umesh Kumar Ray)
Bihar floods: 'Living on 2.5 Kg flattened rice’
Only 4,18,490 of the 56.53 lakh people have been evacuated from the floods so far, and people are forced to survive on meagre rations provided by the government.
Posted on 10 Aug, 2020 03:55 PM

Two weeks ago, the Kanakai River flowing through Kishanganj rendered dozens of families homeless. While the people in the region are staying under plastic sheds, the government has turned a blind eye to their plight.

Mohammadin is also one of them. He tells the India Water Portal,

Locals engaged in repair of broken embankment in Darbhanga (Source: Umesh Kumar Ray)
"Everything’s devastated, and no one is listening to us!"
Surrounded by flood waters, and taking shelter at rooftops with a limited supply of food and drinking water, people of Bihar wait for the floods to end.
Posted on 08 Aug, 2020 06:52 PM

"All of a sudden, water entered the house at night. Goods and cattle were submerged. There is no place to eat or drink. We have been in trouble for three days, but no one has come to help us.” The elderly Gauri Singh complains, with mixed feelings of anger, pain and helplessness. 

Floodwater enters Satjoda village of Chapra (Source: Umesh Kumar Ray)
Floods in Bihar: Pregnant woman reaches hospital in a tube boat
Amid the rising floods and absence of government help, locals help a pregnant woman reach the hospital using a makeshift boat.
Posted on 03 Aug, 2020 01:23 PM

Flood havoc continues to increase in Bihar. Until recently, the effect of flood was only in eight districts across the state but now it has spread to ten districts.

Pregnant woman goes to hospital in flood in a jugaad boat (Source: Umesh K Ray)
Affected by floods, locals resort to chowkis for safety
"People living inside the Kosi embankment get little or no government help that is why we have been doing this jugaad for years during the flood season".
Posted on 29 Jul, 2020 05:35 PM

Flood waters inundated the house of Ramchandra Yadav, a resident of Khoknaha village of Supaul, for three days. During these days he cooked food by setting up a brigade on the outpost and spent nights at the same post.

Children taking water from a submerged handpump (Image source: Prabhat Khabar)
Nearly three lakh people across eight districts affected by floods in Bihar
Floods in Bihar create havoc with 2.88 lakh people being affected. 9,845 people have been evacuated from the region and sent to relief camps.
Posted on 22 Jul, 2020 03:48 PM

The annual floods that wreak havoc in Bihar have knocked the state this year as well. So far, the flood waters have entered 150 panchayats of 30 blocks across eight districts, namely Sitamarhi, Shivhar, Supaul, Kishanganj, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj and East Champaran  .

An official of Bihar's Disaster Management Department said,

Life submerged within the embankment area (Source: India Water Portal Hindi)
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