By IANS
Patna : With over 100 people killed and 12 million affected, Bihar has sought central assistance of Rs.32.2 billion for carrying out relief and rescue operations in its flood-affected areas.
Though the state government is yet to fully assess the widespread damage caused by floods, which have affected 19 of its 38 districts and are described as the worst in living memory, preliminary estimates indicate the loss could be huge.
In a four-page memorandum submitted to Home Minister Shivraj Patil Tuesday, who conducted an aerial survey of the state along with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, the government sought Rs.32.2 billion for damages caused to life and property. It has specifically asked for two million tonnes of wheat and rice for distribution as relief among the flood-affected victims, mostly living on embankments, roads, bridges and rooftops.
According to the state disaster management department, standing crops over one million hectares have been damaged, embankments were breached at dozens of places and about 75,000 houses damaged by floods.
Many roads, including national highways, were damaged in Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Begusarai and Samastipur.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has also requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to tour the flood-hit areas and provide assistance from the disaster relief fund.
Officials sources said the state government was assessing the damages caused by floods and would submit a detailed memorandum for additional central assistance next week.
After over a week of the worst floods in decades, the situation improved Tuesday with all major rivers showing a receding trend.
But thousands of displaced people continue to live on stretches of raised embankments, roads, roofs and bridges and are surviving on dry rations.
Many of the displaced people maintain they are yet to get any food packets or water. Most are fighting for survival with virtually nothing to eat. They are sleeping under the open sky and are forced to drink polluted water.