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