22 dead, about 22 lakh affected in Bihar floods

Floods have forced people to eat rats to survive as there is nothing left to eat. M I Khan reports from Patna.

The flood situation in Bihar remained grim on Saturday with more than 20 lakh people have been affected in several districts of the state.

Thousands forced to flee their homes and take shelter on high rise embankments, national highways, railway lines, in schools and other buildings including relief camps set up by the state government, officials said.

According to the disaster management department officials, the flood affected more than 20 lakh people in 11 of the 38 districts in the state.

The floods have affected state districts of Kishanganj, Purnea, Saharsa, Gopalganj, Araria, Supaul, Khagaria, Bhagalpur, Madhepura and Darbhanga, an official of water resources department said.

"Till date at least 22 people have been reportedly died after they drowned in flood water at different places in the state," officials said.

All the major rivers are in spate and posing serious threat to people living in some towns and villages.

In worst flood-hit Saharsa district, people have been forced to eat rats to survive as there is nothing left to eat.

"People in Banahi village under Salakhua block have been forced to consume rats to survive," a district official said.

In a bid to exploit situation, some villagers have been catching rats and selling them at Rs 40 per kg.

"Rats are in high demand as there is nothing to eat," officials said.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar along with officials has carried out an aerial survey of the affected areas to take stock of the situation. The CM has ordered the concerned officials to survey the loss of houses, crops and other properties in the flood.

Kumar has also directed officials to speed up rescue and relief operations in the flood affected areas.

The chief minister asked the state health department officials to arrange for medicines and DDT sprays to check outbreak of diseases once the flood water subsided.

Officials said that standing crops worth crores of rupees have been damaged and road communication at several places has been snapped in the district.

Other affected districts include Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Munger, Katihar, Araria, Purnia, Saharsa, Darbhanga, Madhepura and Saran.

The government has announced to provide one quintal of food grain to the flood victims and directed district officials to open relief camps.

Five teams of the National Disaster Response Force were camping in the flood affected districts to provide emergency services to people.

The principal secretary of state disaster management department said that people living in low-lying areas have been asked to move to higher ground.