Round the clock service

Inspired by H.H Sri Sri' Ravishakar's call to deliver relief to the affected people, the Art of Living has been working round the clock to reach out to more and more survivors. It is taking care of 5,000 people housed at the Jankinagar, Phulwari camp, providing them food, clothes, polythene sheets, bleaching powder and torches. A team of doctors is also at the camp providing medical assistance and medicines. It’s also providing relief material on a daily basis to survivors housed in several other camps.

An estimated 3.5 million people were affected or displaced by the flood which happened when the monsoon-driven Kosi River changed its course after almost two centuries following a breach in a dam upstream in Nepal. According to official reports, nearly 80 people were killed in 16 districts. Around 1,600 villages in the region have been marooned.

Trucks carrying the relif metirails.

How ever the big the trucks are ,I felt they are just too small....

What motivates our ART OF LIVING volunteers at relief camp

It's their nature they don't need motivation.

Past and present floods in Bihar

Central Water Commission CWC is an apex body of India to look after the
irrigation and flood control in the country. Any trivial matter regarding these two
issues cannot move any further without the nod of this institution. Ask CWC
which year Bihar was hit by the worst floods in the history, the answer would be
2004. This is because, according to CWC, 2004 was the year when 4.99 million
hectares (MH) of land in Bihar was inundated. This information must have been
given to CWC by Government of Bihar GoB. In fact, 2004 flood of Bihar was
limited to 20 districts of North Bihar (Siwan and Saran faced no floods in 2004).
Area of North Bihar is around 5.4 MH and the combined area of Siwan and
Saran is 0.486 MH. Subtract this area from the area of North Bihar to get a
figure of 4.914 MH implying that the flooded area of North Bihar was more than
the actual area of the region. When this anomaly was reported in the press, the
flood hit area of the state slumped down overnight to 2.772 MH in the reports
prepared by Disaster Management Department of the State. GoB, however,
took precaution in retaining the flood affected area as 4.99 MH when it
submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister for assistance to combat the
losses that year. Even Prime Minister's Office did not notice the fallacy in
reporting and so did Ministry of Water Resources and the CWC. One wonders
that in future if a relationship is drawn between the rainfall, highest flood levels
of the rivers and the area affected due to floods in Bihar, will it not lead to
erroneous conclusion? The answer is - who bothers? That is the seriousness
with which data are handled by these august institutions.
GoB took another precaution. It has ceased to disclose the district wise flood
affected area ever since to avoid any criticism. Even this year (2007), the flood
affected population of Sitamarhi district is indicated as 27.86 lakhs whereas the
population of the district according to 2001 census is only 26.83 lakhs although
the official website of GoB suggests a population figure of only 20,13,796
persons. One should not be surprised if the GoB stops giving the flood affected
population now onwards. However, accepting the credibility of whatever data
and information is available, let us take a look at various devastating floods in
the State in past.

1954 Floods Talk to any elderly person in North Bihar and he would
tell you something about the devastation caused in the floods of 1954.This flood
was limited to North Bihar only with an affected area of 2.46 MH and a
population of 7.61 million (out of 18.393 million). This flood affected 8119
villages (out of 21,107 villages) of North Bihar leading to the loss of standing
crops over 15.96 lakh hectares. Some 1,79,451 houses were destroyed and 63
persons lost their lives in this flood. 1944 cattle had also perished in the floods
this year. The flood loss was valued at Rs 50 Crores.
This was the year when the first Flood Policy of the country came into being and
the proposal to dam the Kosi at Barahkshetra in Nepal was dropped in favour of
embankments along the river citing the reason that the proposed dam would be
a safety hazard for the people living in downstream areas. After this all the
major rivers of Bihar were embanked and the process continues still. The flood
prone area of Bihar in 1954 was 2.5 MH and the state had only 160 kilometers
of embankments along its rivers.

1974 Floods The impact of this year's flood was felt south of the
Ganga also in the districts of Munger and Santhal Parganas and had a spread
area of 3.182 MH. It had hit a population of 16.39 million and crops over 1.751
MH were lost. 5,16,353 houses were destroyed in this flood that killed 80
persons and 288 cattle. The total losses were put at Rs. 354.59 Crores.
Following the floods, the GoB appointed a committee to look into the flood
damages and suggest means to combat floods under the Chairmanship of
Kanwar Sain, former Chairman of CWC. This committee reiterated the idea of
construction the Barahkshetra Dam on the Kosi and said that the embankments
could only be a temporary solution to the flood problem of the state. Till 1974,
there were 2192 kilometers long embankments within the state and it was
claimed that they were providing protection to 1.5 MH of land. The flood prone
area of the state, however, had shot up to 4.3 MH by this time.
1987 Floods This was the worst recorded flood of the 20th Century, the
records set by that flood have not been broken so far (2007 included). This flood
had not only mauled North Bihar, its impact was felt in South Bihar as well as
Jharkhand (it was a part of Bihar those days) also. An area of 4.668 million area
of present day Bihar and a population of 282.38 lakhs was hit by this year's
flood that had engulfed 23,852 villages and destroyed crops over an area of
2.51MH. It further destroyed 16,82,059 houses killing 1373 persons. The state
had deployed 58 army boats, 14,304 boats in North Bihar, 1366 boats in south
Bihar and pressed in services of 13 helicopters for rescue and relief operations.
The rains that started on the 11th August continued almost non-stop till 19th
August and no food packets could be dropped in Madhubani, Darbhanga,
Samastipur and Khagaria for about 3 weeks. Blocks like Alauli and Beldaur
remained marooned till the end of October. The floods repeated five times in
days to come and Jhanjharpur (Madhubani) was inundated even after Diwali.
There were 3,321 kilometers long embankments in the state by 1987 that were
expected to protect 2.873 MH of land against flooding. There were 104
breaches in these embankments and the flood prone area of the state had gone
up to 6.461 MH. A committee under the Chairmanship of Naresh Chandra was
appointed to look into the causes and remedy of floods in the state. The Report
is gathering dust somewhere in the Central Water Commission.

2004 Floods This year's flood was spread over 20 districts of North Bihar
with an area over 2.772 MH ( 4.99 mh according to CWC) and a flood-hit
population of 2.13 Crores. This flood had engulfed 9346 villages. destroyed
crops over an area of 1.399 MH and swept away 9, 29,773 houses killing 885
persons. Desparate attempts were made to paint 2004 flood as the worst ever
flood in living memory and duping the PM was a part of it.
By this time the undivided Bihar had an embankment length of 3465 kilometers.
24 kilometers went to Jharkhand and another 11 kilometers was swept away.
Remaining 3430 kilometers long embankments are still there with Bihar while
the flood prone area of the state has gone up to 6.88 MH. Government of India
had appointed another Task Force to look into the flood problem of the state
and suggest remedy. This report, too, says that the flood affected area of Bihar

in 2004 was 4.99 MH. One should not be expecting anything worthwhile from
the report which is based on wrong footings. Obviously, constituting committees
and Task Forces etc is just an extension of floods that provides post retirement
employment to administrators and technocrats.

2007 Floods Much has been written earlier and it is not intended to repeat
it here but it must be said here that whenever a phrase 'worst ever flood' is
used, caution must be exercised. It suits all concerned, except the victims, if the
worst ever flood strikes an area. Should miseries be marketed? Marketing
managers could muster a statement from United Nations that Bihar was hit by
worst ever flood this year which, it was constrained to modify later saying it
meant South East Asia and not Bihar. GoB has diluted its wordings and does
not call it worst ever floods in living memory. Will Central Water Commission
modify its information?

Bihar flood:Times of India article:must read

Is it natural for a river to shift course? What rights, if any, do the displaced people have? How can India check its surging rivers? TOI finds the answers



When the Kosi reverted to its 250-year-old course last month, leaving 30 lakh people homeless in northern Bihar, apparently due to heavy rains in Nepal, the near-Biblical scenes of havoc left many with just one question: Why?


Why do rivers change course? What happens to the people they displace? Are these refugees of wayward rivers entitled to compensation for the land they lost? And just how prepared is India to check its surging rivers? It’s futile to ask ‘why’, says A K Bajaj, chairman of the Central Water Commission because “it’s very natural for a river to keep shifting its course. It’s a part of its natural evolution.” Bajaj explains that fast-flowing rivers are prone to silting up as they surge down the hills and spread out on the plains, allowing sand and suspended matter to deposit in their slower, wider depths. Over time, the deposits create resistance, forcing the river to move to an area of lower resistance. This is called changing course. Nature’s fury—earthquakes, landslides, hurricanes—can change a river’s course as well.


And then there’s man. Environmentalists now say at least some of the blame lies with human activity. Says IPCC chief R K Pachauri, “As a result of climate change, floods are increasing in frequency and intensity. It’s not possible to ascribe a single event such as the current floods in Bihar to human-induced climate change, but the trend is unmistakable.


These are likely to get more serious in the future if the emissions of greenhouse gases are not mitigated at the global level.” Bajaj agrees that “the volume of water in rivers has been on the rise, resulting in greater force of flow. Therefore, even relatively lesser amount of rain during the monsoon can lead to a catastrophe”. He adds that “in the next 15-20 years, this phenomenon will continue till most of the glaciers have melted.


After that, there will be just minimal flow of water.” The role of natural evolution and nature’s fury in a river changing course may sound like one of the simplest lessons in a child’s geography book. But the effects can be complex. When waterside property suddenly becomes landlocked for miles and new waterfront acreage emerges, havoc ensues. Who owns the new land? Do the people who once farmed along the banks have any rights at all? The government has a 54-year-old formula by which land equivalent to 3.5 times the width of the river on either side is deemed the floodplain.



Embankments are built on it. If a river has changed course, the new floodplain “is considered very fertile and good for farming although this stretch is never safe from floods,” says Bajaj. People want to settle on the floodplain because it is fertile and easily irrigated. Not so the Kosi, the river of sorrow, which brings unfertile soil with it from the higher reaches. Authorities say that once the Kosi waters start receding, the breach in Nepal would be repaired. It is hoped that the river would revert to its original course.



If that happens, the question is whether it would be possible to reclaim the 2.75 lakh acres of farmland, that are under water now. The Kosi has forced public policy review before. It caused devastating floods in 1953-54, forcing the government to announce zoning to demarcate areas prone to flooding. An estimated 40 million hectares across India were classified flood-prone. But 54 years later, less than half are protected by embankments. “Issues like topography, policies and other factors cause delay.



In Upper Assam, for example, we are witnessing rising levels of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries in Dibrugarh district. But the river is so huge and ferocious that it’s very difficult to tame it,” says a CWC official. Officials at the department of hydrology studies say that building dams may be the best way out, as is the case with the Colorado river in the US. It has 30 dams to keep it in check. “In case of the Ganga and the Kosi, the government of Nepal, where both rivers originate, is not allowing construction of dams.



So, we shall remain at perpetual risk,” says Bajaj. It is true that dams have become a symbol of development at great human cost. Environmentalists protest against them. But officials say, “Either you protect human lives or you protect each and every plant and animal on this earth and negate human beings and their development.” IN DANGEROUS WATERS The Kosi river in north Bihar is notorious for the meandering behaviour of its east-to-west course. In the past 250 years, the Kosi has moved westwards by more than 100 km Bihar has a history of rivers changing course because of its terrain.




he Ganga has been changing its course over the years and last year, a new 500-acre tract came into existence between Maner and Mokama. Ownership of this tract became a bone of contention between some landlords in the area The Brahmaputra has a huge volume of water and is quite unmanageable. It keeps changing course and a major shift has been observed in the North-East since the 1960s The Rupnarayan river in West Bengal joins the Hooghly after completing a 240-km course.


It carries huge silt deposits and may be forcing the Hooghly to shift course Areas of Uttarakhand, which are near the foothills, are at risk because the Ganga can change course The Sone river in central India has been notorious for changing course, as is evident from several old beds on its east. In modern times this tendency has been checked with the anicut at Dehri, and now more so with the Indrapuri barrage There is evidence of a steady westward shift in the course of the Indus since pre-historic times

Guruji's appeal for relif effort

Guruji's appeal for relif effort

Please curtail the expenses during festivals and celebrations and support in contributing in cash and kind to wipe the tears of the people in Bihar, they are part of of our own family.

H.H Sri Sri Ravishankar

Kids also have big heart for relief efforts

Today Art Excel students went out collecting relief material with two YES students, and they collected lot of things in a day.
Just ten kids collected in 4 hours
Match box- 2 Bundle (approx-50 pcs)
Biscuits -100 pcs.
Sattu -15 Kg.
Candle- 2 pkt.
Salt -5 kg
Chura- 112 kg.
Cloths
Gents- 3 Bundle
Ladies- 3 Bundle
Kids- 3 Bundle .
WELL DONE KIDS

How can you donate from any part of the world

International donors

IAHV FCRA Account No. is – 00031000242604.

HDFC BANK LTD.

G – ¾, Surya Kiran Building ,

19 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi – 110001.

Please note that all the funds can come directly into this Account. We only need the donor to mail the following details to IAHV office –

1. Purpose for which it is sent (BIHAR FLOOD RELIEF).

2. Individual or societies or NGO'S name who are remitting this amount.

3. We can collect the donation by our IAHV Chapter's abroad like USA, UK, Germany etc and they can sent it to the above mentioned account number along with relevant information- donor's name, purpose and amount.

OR

How can YOU contribute?

1. CREDIT CARD: Please go to our secure website http://www.iahv.org/donate.asp to make a donation.

2. CHECK/MONEY ORDER: Please make them payable to IAHV and mail to: IAHV, 12121 Quadrille Lane, Bowie, MD 20720.

3. If you would like to make in-kind contributions or volunteer in the affected areas, visit http://help-biharfloodvictims.blogspot.com/

FOR queries-

IAHV CONTACTS: for international consignments

PATNA- RASHMI JAIN 098350 26590 093220 47040 rashmijain1660@yahoo.co.in
DELHI- DILRAJ BEDI 09810263152 dilraj_bedi@hotmail.com

KOLKATA- RAJSREE DAS 098364 37162 r_dass@rediffmail.com

BOMBAY- JAYESH PANCHAL 09867038000 jayesh.panchal@vvki.net

Address for Intl Consignments

C/O Sri KN Jain, Senior Advocate, Bank Road, Patna 800001, Bihar

Phone 0612 6455658

ROAD MAP OF THE FLOOD RELIEF CAMP.

1.RELIEF CAMPS HAVE BEEN SET UP AT THREE PLACES.
PURNIA, FORBESGANJ, and SAHERSA.
2.THERE ARE TWO CAMP IN CHARGE AT EACH CAMP MANAGING AND LOOKING INTO THE RELIEF AND TRAUMA WORK.
3.IN EACH OF THESE CAMPS THERE ARE SEPARATE IN CHARGE LOOKING INTO-
-SUPPLY AND PURIFYING OF WATER
-SANITATION
-MATERIAL DISTRIBUTION(3 IN NUMBER).
-VOLUNTEERS(25 in NUMBER ).

A FOUR WHEELER(JEEP/PICK UP VAN) IS REQUIRED IN EACH CAMP URGENTLY

FOLLOWING THINGS WERE DISTRIBUTED
FOOD PACKETS
CLOTHES
DRINKING WATER(24 HOURS SUPPLY)


PRIYAJEET JI WILL BE OVER ALL INCHARGE OF ALL THESE THREE CAMPS.
DON'T CALL PRIYAJEET JI UNLESS ITS VERY IMPORTANT. DIRECTLY CALL THE CONCERNED PERSON.

1000 life jackets for rescuers(Army)

The volunteers are also helping the Army in the rescue operations. The Art of Living has shipped 1, 000 life-jackets from Dubai to assist the rescuers. Volunteers are also training people on hygiene and sanitation. Water purifying machines which can operate without electricity or battery are being installed in different relief camps. This has not only increased people’s access to clean drinking water, but also helped to check the spread of diarrhoea, jaundice and other water-borne diseases.

Help continues to pour in : Still more needed

Relief materials worth Rs 10 crore (US$2.5 million) have been mobilized through its volunteer network throughout the country. It proposes to raise another Rs 40 crore (US$10 million) for rehabilitation of the victims.

The organization has also launched massive collection drives to solicit support from all sections of society and appealed to one and all to join in the relief operations. Many individuals and corporate houses such as Wipro, TCS ,Tisco, Oracle and Infosys have contributed to the Art of Living’s relief efforts. Jet Airways has helped in transporting relief material to Bihar.

The Art of Living has always reached out to people struck by calamities anywhere in the world in association with its sister concern, International Association of Human Values (IAHV), which has been awarded the Independent Charities Seal of Excellence by the Independent Charities of America after meeting the highest standards of public accountability, program effectiveness and cost effectiveness.

Donate Now

For any query call us at the following 24*7 helpline no: 09431021046, 09431022020, 09934358831, 09308243183. You can mail us at mannigandhi@yahoo.co.in. of India.

Remote areas reached

In addition to providing emergency supplies and trauma care to the survivors taking shelters in various camps, the Art of Living is also reaching out to more inaccessible areas. It has started a new relief camp in Jadiabazar in the Suppol district. So far no relief from any agencies has reached the people marooned in the area. With nearly a 40km stretch leading to the area still submerged under water, the area remains largely inaccessible. It’s only after 2-hour boat rides that the Art of Living volunteers are able to reach the area. The volunteers are helping the survivors get back to life by providing food grains and cooking utensils, alongside trauma care.

Teams of volunteers, including doctors, have also reached the remote and submerged villages in Madhepura. A team reached the remote Batani area on September 8 and over 2,000 people housed in the camps are being attended to. The Art of Living is also taking care of 2000 people, including 24 pregnant women and 250 children, who have taken shelter at the Meerganj camp, providing baby foods, clothes and dry foods. Other villages reached are Kumarkhand, Ratanpura, Lakshmipur, Jogwada, Rehta and Murliganj.

Survivors seek more trauma care sessions

The Art of Living has also stepped up its trauma relief measures for the victims. Pranayama and meditation sessions to help them cope with fear and trauma are held in more camps. This two-pronged approach of delivering relief material and providing stress-elimination tools is aimed at offering holistic rehabilitation.

Thousands of survivors have benefited from the trauma relief measures started by the Art of Living. They reported tremendous relief after attending the trauma sessions, which included pranayama, breathing techniques and satsangs.

Many of them who could not sleep properly out of fear and anxiety are now able to sleep properly despite the devastation. The volunteers are going from camp to camp to offer trauma care sessions in different parts of the affected areas.

Relief camps run by Art of Living your chance to do selfless service to humanity.

Art of Living is running 3 camps in Bihar- Purnia, Forbesganj & Sahersa. All camps are facing shortages, with the Purnia camp most affected.
Situated in 150 acres, it is accommodating 12,000 people on last count.
Majority are women, children and the aged. Rescue operations are ongoing, with large numbers adding to the camp counts each day.

10 infants have been born yesterday in the Purnia camp. Mothers are in trauma and not lactating.

Rs 50,000 per day is required to run the camp (including food, medicines, generators, clothing and basic amenities)
URGENT REQUIREMENTS: (please drop at nodal points mentioned below.)
Baby food Milk powder Plastic sheets – size 8 (W) feet x 15 (L)
feet Generators -3 Rice Pulses (Daal) Wheat (Atta)
Clothing for children (please do not give torn or dirty clothes)
Sarees for women (cotton only as infection can spread easily through synthetic damp cloth)
Doctors- voluntary basis Address of camp: Banmankhi, Purnia district Janki Khoont JBC Phulwari Bihar

Donations in cash or kind may please be made at the following nodal points. 4.GURGAON - VANDNA GOYAL -981181101 C 1 / 45 Palam Vihar RUCHI RAI 9810722445 C - 36 Palam Vihar Art of Living is also collecting cash donations for the cause of BIHAR tragedy as medicines, bedsheets, sattu, channa, amenities, cooking gas, wheat, flour etc are also being/need to bought at the ground itself. Please drop off cash donations, at nodal points mentioned above, against issue of receipts.

Cash Donations are exempt under 80G. Cheques/drafts to be made in favour of: VVKI SEVA & SATSANG A/C no 000701201927(ICICI bank). (This is an account that has been opened by Delhi AOL to facilitate transfer and track of funds to Bihar AOL A/C as relief efforts are on at a huge scale)

For further details and assistance contact: SANGEETA ANAND - 9811335074 and INDU SINHA- 9818702578 Email - sangeeta.g.anand @ gmail.com & induaol @ yahoo.co.in Please visit us on http://help-biharfloodvictims.blogspot.c... for updates on the ongoing relief work at all camps. Warm regards & JGD -- Sangeeta G. Anand Media Coordinator The Art Of Living ( Delhi&NCR ) Mobile: 9811335074 www.artofliving.org

Does the water level recede?

The Art of Living Foundation is greatly concerned about the current flood situation in Bihar and is actively participating in the flood and trauma relief work with the government of Bihar with all its volunteers. We need help from all the corners of the world. Please generously donate for this great cause.

Rishi Vidhyadharji, has been sent by Guruji , His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to oversee the relief effort, conduct trauma relief sessions and interact with the victims in the relief camps. Thousands of people attended his session when he visited the Phulwari camp today. They reported tremendous relief after attending the sessions, which included pranayama, breathing techniques and satsangs.

Please contribute for the Bihar flood Relief

http://www.iahv.org/donate.asp