Bihar Floods

Kosi breach due to Bihar government's apathy: PAG

Patna, Jan 15 (PTI) The Principal Accountant General (PAG) of Bihar has indicted the state government for the breach in river Kosi embankment in 2008 that rendered lakhs of people homeless and claimed several lives.

"Lack of sincere approach in protection work by Bihar's Water Resources Department (WRD) led to the breach in the eastern afflux bund on Kosi at Kusaha in Nepal in 2008," the PAG said in its report, official sources said today.

The WRD did not accept the proposals of head works division and the Eastern Kosi Embankment division of Birpur for protection works at vulnerable sites
of the bund that includes the breached point before the 2008 floods, the report of the PAG, an office under the Comptroller and Auditor General,
said.

Instead, the department had curtailed the work of construction of 11 studs to just 5 between 12.8 km and 13.

A website to log the RTI success stories of Purulia villagers

Courtesy Indian Express: Piyasree Dasgupta 

On being asked his age, Kolebor Kalindi, a resident of Karru village in Baghmundi block of Purulia, fumbles for an answer. The 20-odd neighbours and relatives surrounding him do some loud thinking, and conclude that he cannot be more than 40. Kalindi, a farm labourer with a family of seven, looks older. His neighbours, Shombari Machchua, Gangadhar Hembram, Raghu Majhi, Bhojohori Kumar, don’t seem to know their ages either. More occupied with trying to eke out a living as farm labourers, the community, mostly belonging Scheduled Castes, doesn’t spare much thought to birth dates.

Yet, they are all familiar...
Posted on: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - 15:41 Responses: (0)
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Inviting women researchers, journalists and activists

Like majority of our rivers, Kosi too is a goddess - the daughter of Lord Shiva. Nicknamed `the sorrow of Bihar' by the male-dominated engineer-contractor -politician lobby, the river has been searching for its identity ever since. Ironically, most of what has been seen and written on the hydrological engineering imposed on the river has been by `men' only. Could women not have a different perspective? With this in view, we are planning to organise an all-women travel-cum-expediti on into the flood plains of north Bihar to get the `missing' perspective.

With the limited resources we could gather, the travel can accomodate a maximum of 6 participants.  The 7-day journey will commence and culminate at Patna. Given the ravaged infrastructure in north Bihar, the twin-sharing stay arrangements might just be reasonabe. Given the nature of such travels where learning is more `important', the interested participants may come prepared to face...
Posted on: Monday, December 28, 2009 - 16:00 Responses: (0)
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Appeal For Flood Relief : Sitamarhi, Bihar

Guest Post by: Deepak Bharti, SSVK

Image and Content Courtesy: SSVK Floods have once again unleashed their havoc in North Bihar, this time ravaging Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga Districts. The floods this time have been caused by a major breach of 60 meters on the right embankment of Bagmati river near Tilaktajpur village of Runnisyedpur block on 1st August’ 09. By the evening of 2nd August, the swirling waters had breached their embankments at Baraitha Masjid and another place under Katra block in Muzaffarpur district. The worst affected blocks are Runisaidpur in Sitamarhi district and Bochaha, Aurai, Katra and Gaighat Blocks of Muzaffarpur district. The floods have been caused by the release of water from barrages following...
Posted on: Thursday, August 6, 2009 - 16:17 Responses: (0)
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