Click to play videoPatna: The twin horrors of flooding and drought are plaguing Bihar.
River Bagmati has breached its embankment flooding about 100 villages in Sitamarhi district and displacing more than 1 lakh people. More villages are likely to be inundated in the next couple of days as the flood waters enter new areas.
"We will have to provide relief and employment to a large number of people. Food will also have to be distributed in the affected areas and even drinking water is scarce in many areas," Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
The flash flood hit the state at a time when it was gearing to fight drought in several districts. Many districts have registered a 52 per cent decrease in rainfall.
Only 16 lakh hectares of paddy farms out of a total of 36 lakh hectares have been sown so far as the rest are rain dependent. Clearly drought is a bigger worry than flood.
"Don't worry much about floods. Floods have affected a limited area and that can be tackled. Drought is the main problem that Bihar is facing," said Kumar.
While for the flood-hit population, security personnel and hundreds of boats have been pressed into service to bring stranded people to safe places, subsidy on diesel and seeds have been announced for those hit by the drought.
The state government is now looking towards the Center for a bail out package.
The government has asked its various departments to study and report the situation in the districts.
Based on the reports it will make a declaration of drought on or before August 15.
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