United Nations Disaster Management Team

BIHAR FLOODS 2008

Background

The annual rainfall in India during the months of July to September, lead to floods in many parts of the country every year. However, in August 2008, massive floods in many parts of north Bihar were a result not of rainfall but of a major breach (about 2 km in length) in the eastern embankment of the Kosi River in Kusaha (Indo-Nepal border) which occurred on August 18. About 129,800 cusec water was discharged through the breach inundating hundreds of villages in the northern Bihar districts of Supaul, Araria, Madehpura and Purnea. Due to this huge breach in the embankment, the Kosi River changed its course and is now flowing through areas that have not experienced major floods in the recent past. The floods are currently affecting over 4 million people in 18 districts. Over 1 million people have been evacuated and hundreds of thousands are staying in relief camps. This has created an unprecedented humanitarian situation in the state with the Government of India treating the situation as a national calamity.

UN response 

The United Nations agencies in India are responding to the situation in Bihar. In New Delhi, the UN Disaster Management Team is meeting on a weekly basis with NGOs, bilateral and international agencies to share information on the latest situation, assessments and activities and discuss coordination at various levels. The UN Solution Exchange network is posting queries on its DRM network to collect information from experts in maternal health, watsan, emergency communications, water-sharing issues etc. For details of these queries, please see http://www.solutionexchange-un.net.in/en/Disaster-Management/introduction.html

At the state and district levels:

·         UN agencies particularly UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and WHO are participating at the state level Inter-Agency Group (IAG) meetings in which government and NGOs working in the state are represented. 

·         UNDP personnel under the GOI-UNDP Disaster Risk Management Programme continue to support the Department of Disaster Management at the state level and facilitate NGO coordination for flood response in association with BIPARD. UNDP will lead a joint mission on assessment of damages and losses and the preparation of a long-term recovery and reconstruction plans.

·         UNFPA is providing dignity kits to women and adolescent girls.

·         UNICEF is providing humanitarian assistance in the most affected districts in the sectors of health, nutrition, watsan and programme communication and supporting government initiatives in child protection and education.

·         WFP is providing micronutrient fortified products.

·         WHO is engaged in disease surveillance, polio immunization, monitoring of medical relief and collecting information from relief camps and health centres. 

For full and latest details of the UN response, please see the Situation Reports.