By Mahtab Alam for TwoCircles.net from flood zone,
Araria (Bihar): Azra (10) and Gulshan (12) are shocked. The flood has made them speechless. They are unable to talk about them. Their neighbours in the relief camp at Alia Madrasa in Forbesganj (Araria) say that the Kosi River has swallowed their parents.
These two girls are from Lalpur in Supaul, one of the districts badly affected by the flood. They are not alone. There are a number of people who have lost their dear ones to the flood while the calamity has separated many others.
With people reaching affected areas, real picture of the magnanimity of the Kosi-caused flood in Bihar is coming to fore. The flood has swept villages after villages and has also split a number of families.
Saifuddin from Araria says his family is still trapped in water. There is no government boat in his area that he could go home to search for his family members.
Saifuddin, now in a relief camp run by Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, is desperately waiting for his family.
Nikhil Kumar who is also staying in a JIH camp in Araria since it was set up on August 29 is also away from his family. Hailing from Saharsa, Nikhil says water separated him from his family. His family is now in a relief camp in his home district.
Besides other Muslim organizations, JIH is running seven relief camps in Araria. In each camp there are 200-300 people.
While the government says millions of people have been taken to safer places, thousands are still trapped in the flood water, survivors say. But now there is little work being done on rescue front.
Many survivors want to go home in search of their dear ones but they have no means as there is only water spread over several kilometers. There are very few government boats while the private boatmen are exploiting the situation and charging high.