India’s belated flood relief operation
Aid is beginning to reach the flood-affected in the Indian state of Bihar, but some say it is too late.
A long convoy of Indian army trucks is driving on the highway between the towns of Purnea and Madhepura in north Bihar.
They are carrying soldiers as well as rescue equipment, including boats.
Further ahead, they will be joined by Indian navy divers who will assist them in evacuating those villagers still stranded in flood waters.
Officials say they expect to bring out everyone in 72 hours.
At the Purnea air force base, two helicopters are being loaded up with emergency supplies – mostly food and medicines in packets.
These will be dropped from the air to the flood victims who are still cut off.
After facing a barrage of criticism for not doing enough, the Indian government has begun responding.
But for some, it is too late.
Sanjay is a migrant worker employed in the northern Indian state of Punjab hundreds of miles to the west.
He has rushed back to Murliganj in Madhepura, to try and save his grandfather who is marooned and very ill.
An army rescue team takes him to his village but by the time he gets there, his grandfather has died.
Overflowing camps
“He needed medicines – but they were unable to get any in the past 10 days because of the floods.”
Wrapped in a white shroud, his body is lifted on to the rescue boat to be taken away.
With the rescue operation in full swing, attention is now shifting to the relief camps which are all overflowing.
C Sridhar, the district magistrate in Purnea who is overseeing the relief effort there, says the government is doing all it can.
Many people are still waiting for aid
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“The government is prepared to provide assistance to all these people who have nowhere to go,” he tells me in his large colonial-era office where his phone is constantly ringing.
“We are in the process of building a mega-relief camp in Purnea district headquarters which will eventually have semi-permanent tents with roofs made of corrugated iron,” he adds even as he sends out instructions over the phone.
At the moment though, the focus is on just getting people into camps and getting them some immediate assistance.
Aid agencies and government medical teams have begun visiting some camps, where there are already reports of some people suffering from diarrhoea.
They are distributing oral rehydration salts and other medicines.
‘Fairly organised’
But sanitation levels at the camps are poor and there is concern that preventive measures may be too late.
Bjorn Nissen of Medicins Sans Frontieres has visited several camps to assess the situation.
“Aid is getting through and seems fairly organised.
“But yes, there is always a potential for water-borne diseases to affect large numbers of people. We are still trying to see what is needed and what we can do.”
The scale of the floods has overwhelmed relief efforts
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India has not asked for international assistance. There is a strong sense here that it is not needed, that the government has enough resources to provide for those affected.
But it is not refusing all offers of help.
“We will certainly welcome international aid particularly those who can offer certain expertise,” says Mr Sridhar.
“Floods are a traumatic experience. Those who have suffered will need help in coping with their situation and eventually rebuilding their lives. This is an area where international groups can offer immense help.”
So why has it taken so long for the relief effort to hit speed?
There was one clue on Monday.
Minutes after the army convoy drove down the Purnea-Madhepura highway, it was followed by a long line of cars with flashing lights.
A senior Indian cabinet minister, Laloo Prasad Yadav, who is also a former chief minister of Bihar, had come visiting.
Bihar is currently governed by his political opponents – and so the state and federal governments have spent a lot of the past week blaming each other for the mess.
In between, the flood survivors wait for someone to take note of them.
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