MADHEPURA: The
turbulent Kosi is on the rampage. After forcing lakhs of people out of
the hinterland and threatening to engulf thousands of marooned
villagers, the roiling waters are flowing six feet deep through
Madhepura town, the district headquarters.
The town is sinking by the hour. SOS calls from the distressed are
bouncing back from a government conspicuous by its inadequacy.
"Officers running the district control room say they cannot help," said
an inconsolable Mukesh Verma, who managed to reach the district
headquarters on Saturday after a distress call to evacuate 25 members
of his family from the rooftop of their home in Jorgama village in
Kumarkhand block. "They will all die. They are without food and water
... please help me, sir."
Till now, Madhepura was famous as the home of B P Mandal who led the
Mandal Commission. It was also known as the place Lalu Prasad and
Sharad Yadav vied to represent in Parliament. The district has a
population of about 15 lakh. Eleven of its 13 blocks have been flooded.
Madhepura town has a population of about 52,000.
Experts from the state water resources department fear the situation
will worsen with the catchment area in upstream Nepal reporting more
than 100mm of rainfall overnight. They say that an additional 1.95 lakh
cusecs of water is likely to flood in from Nepal.
On Saturday morning, residents of Madhepura town joined the long march
of flood victims towards that elusive safety.
When this reporter entered the town in the morning, the main square —
Karpoori Chowk — was a foot deep under water. A few hours later, the
level had climbed to two feet and by dusk it would have drowned a
six-foot man. The high waters are forcing people to leave and there is
nowhere to go. For those who can afford it, a few autorickshaws are
making a fast buck.
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© 2008 Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd.
