The relief to the people marooned by the mighty Kosi in Bihar has remained negligible even after 19 days.
Nineteen long days after the flood waters first gushed in on August 18, the state government claims to have airdropped 90,000-odd food packets so far. Another 1.6 lakh such packets have been reached to the inundated areas through other channels. Each packet has food items enough to sustain three adults and two children for two days, the government claims. It also claims 27.2 lakh people have been affected. That is, only 12.5 lakh people have been provided food items for only two days. And the swollen Kosi has been there for the last 19 days.
Around 8.4 lakh people have been evacuated, and the government on Friday said around three lakh of them are living in relief camps. An estimated one lakh people have migrated to other states. The government relief hasn’t reached over five lakh people. There are, according to official figures on Friday, 682 handpumps and 760 temporary toilets in the 300 relief camps being run in the affected areas which are grossly inadequate.