BAPS Relief Work for Bihar Flood Victims, India
3 to 19 September 2008

 

 

Photo Gallery

 
 
    
 
 
Disaster
The recent mass flooding by the River Kosi has caused mass devastation in the state of Bihar (North-East India) with over 3 million people in 16 districts affected, 1 million people evacuated, thousands still missing, hundreds of villages destroyed and over 230,000 people left homeless with entire livelihoods destroyed. It is Bihar’s worst flood disaster in 50 years!

Immediate Help
3 September 2008. BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, under the guidance of Pramukh Swami Maharaj set up base camps at Katihar and Patna with teams of volunteers to gather first-hand information on the devastation and the type of relief materials required in the affected areas.

7 September 2008. BAPS started collecting and packing relief aid as informed by the BAPS team in Bihar.

10 September 2008. BAPS deployed sadhus and more volunteers (from Kolkata, West Bengal) with relief materials to Katihar. From Katihar, the BAPS team move to Madhepura, meeting the Relief Commissioner. BAPS was advised by the Government of Bihar to provide specific medicines to the medical camps organized by the Indian Army in the worst affected districts of Madhepura and Saharsa (North Bihar).

12 September 2008. BAPS was instructed to provide relief to areas still unaided by any agency or organizations in the District of Madhepura.

At present, BAPS teams are providing relief aid and help to many villages which still have waist-high waters. Sadhu Purnaprakashdas of BAPS, who is heading the BAPS team in Madhepura, said “There are still a lot of villages which still have waist-high water flowing through them. About 90% of all village people have left their villages and are staying on the main roads in tents or make-shift shelters.“

Bhavesh Patel, who is handling the BAPS transportation in Bihar said, “The difficulty with transporting the material is that many of the bridges and roads are completely damaged. Sometimes we have to use boats and even carry the material on our shoulders, wading through flood waters to reach stranded people.”

Villages Helped in the District of Madhepua (Bihar)

Padava Ghat

Gusai Tola

Panchhi Tola

Rahuar

Seema Tola

Tulsi Badi

Lachmania Tola

Manik Pur

Bind Toli

 

Medical Help

Till date, BAPS has organized six  large medical camps, treating thousands of flood-affected villages. Sadhu Purnaprakashdas further commented, “Most of the victims are suffering from fevers, stomach upsets, diarrhoea and skin allergies. Drinking water in tube-wells has become contaminated and that is why there is also an urgent need to purify drinking water.”

Medicines Already Provided

Illnesses

Quantity

Stomach problems

11,570 tablets

Diarrhoea

4,000 tablets

Children’s Diarrhoea

1010 bottles

Fever

10,040 tablets

Malaria

10,000 tablets

Cold / Flu

6,050 tablets

Fungus / Allergies

2,432 tubes
1000 tablets

Multi-vitamins

12,000 tablets

Dehydration

1,190 packets

Water purification

15,000 tablets

Relief Provided
BAPS provided home kits to 500 families in affected villages in the District of Madhepura. Each kit contained clothes for the entire family, food items (rice, dal, flatten rice, salt, biscuits, etc.) together with other necessities and large plastic sheets for shelter.  

Counselling and Uplifting
Together with material relief aid, psychological and emotional counselling has helped  victims cope with the trauma of the circumstances. BAPS sadhus and volunteers are actively counselling victims in the aftermath of the floods. Many have found inner strength to cope with the shock of the disaster.