Sleepless in Araria

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I left at 7 am and it took me 12 hours to reach the district block office of Araria. Araria borders Nepal and hence is one of the worst affected districts by the current Kosi Floods.

The Government has only one coordination office to coordinate for the relief effort meeting the needs of the two districts Araria and Saupal. Approximately 8,000 people from Araria and Saupal are living in 15 relief camps. This number comes as shock to me as I know that the population of these two districts put together is approximately 38 lakh people.

These relief camps are crammed as the supplies and space is pushed to the limit. An additional 1,500 people are arriving every day, as army and Border Security force has been pushed into action. These additional people further strains meager resources within the relief camps. The number of people still marooned is unknown.

Families are living under tarpaulins and in government offices and schools. Given that schools have become relief camps education has come to a halt. Government food rations are extremely inadequate.

People are being given khichdi (porridge of rice and pulses) to eat, which extremely frugal. Nutritional deficiency is growing among pregnant and lactating mothers and young children. Children in particular are easily effected by under nutrition and it makes them more susceptible to the growing number of diseases in the unhygienic relief camps.

What is even more saddening is to see that caste and class hierarchy has crept into the relief distribution. People in the relief camps say that rich people are provided with more food, more quickly and the poor are suffering.

The current relief effort is ignoring the needs of children especially in the age group of 0-5 years and those who have been separated from their families. There is no mechanisms in place to ensure that there are safe zones for children so that they are protected from abuse and exploitation, no special rescue or relief for children and the number of missing or dead children is still unknown.

The Government does not know how long the rescue situation is likely to last but if conditions are not improved in relief camps those already rescued will be in danger of disease, malnutrition, untreated trauma and exposure.

As the day ended at about 10:30 pm I prepared a list of things that I should look out for next day morning to ensure that Save the Children's relief effort is coordinate and reaches the most vulnerable children women and other vulnerable group.

(Mufti Riyaz is the Programme Coordinator for Save the Children of Patna, Bihar Office)