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Flood
survivors remain separated by Kosi waters
By
Priyanka Khanna
Indo-Asian News
Service
Supaul (Bihar), Sep 25 (IANS) They ran for their lives as
the waters of the Kosi river came raging into their homes.
Over a month later, many of Bihar's three million homeless
still can't find their loved ones. The government has now
started an initiative focussed on helping those separated
by the worst floods in the state in over 50 years.
Manu Devi, who is now in a government relief camp in this
small town, lost her husband as the Kosi breached a series
of embankments at the India-Nepal border and changed its course.
But she is in denial. "He left me and my child at the
railway station and went back to the house to retrieve our
belongings. He will come back soon," says Manu Devi.
Manu's brother-in-law knows the fact. He had gone looking
for the missing man and found that the house had collapsed.
"I have seen my brother's body but she does not believe
me," he says helplessly.
Manu's baby girl has developed a serious ear infection even
as she spends her time searching for her husband. Neighbours
are concerned for the baby girl as they feel that Manu is
not giving her the attention the child needs.
Eight-year-old Reena Kumari was rescued by her neighbours
from a hill top in Triveniganj in this district, after they
found the petrified girl stranded and alone. She is yet to
find her parents.
Twelve-year-old Anita Kumari has also lost her parents. She
is living with relatives who cannot really afford to look
after her for a long time. Her tears well up as she says:
"I'm fine. I'm very well looked after. But no one is
looking for my parents. I don't even have a picture of them."
Alarmed by the large number of family separation complaints
of this kind, the state government has now launched an initiative
to reunite separated families and assist communities in creating
a supportive and protective environment around flood victims,
especially the women and children.
The initiative by the Department of Social Welfare is called
Sambal (support) and is being supported by Unicef as well
as 10 NGOs active at the state and national levels. Among
these are Save the Children, Indian Red Cross and Jeevika
- Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project.
Sambal aims to trace families separated by the floods and
reunite them. It also aims to prevent trafficking and abuse
of flood victims, and to provide them psychosocial support
in the worst-affected districts - Araria, Supaul, Saharsa,
Madhepura and Purnea.
Over 400 volunteers have been mobilised to work in camps and
communities. They are creating a database of separated families,
which has already started showing results - some separated
victims have found their relatives.
The initiative is paying special attention to children and
has a plan to rehabilitate them if their relatives cannot
be found.
Indo-Asian
News Service
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