After days of heavy rainfall, Patna experienced sunshine. The sunshine brought hope and relief for some people, but for many the flooding situation hasn’t gone away.

Heavy rainfall in Bihar is not new, but this year, the very rainfall turned into a flood nightmare. This rainfall badly waterlogged many areas of Patna, especially Rajendra Nagar, Kankarbagh, Hathwa Market area and Patliputra, with several feet of water entering into buildings, flushing the people out.

Even now, those living in these low-lying areas are badly affected as there is no access to safe drinking water or proper food. Water entered shops and houses, submerging goods, machinery and furniture and made many vacate their homes to take shelter at safer places. People living on the ground floor lost their valuables and furniture, vehicles submerged in water have become defunct.

Water is being removed with the help of heavy pumps, and the water level in some higher areas is receding, but that means water is flowing down to lower levels. In Rajendra Nagar pumping did not help much, the stagnant water is turning black. Dead bodies of animals are found  floating in this area.

Top district officials could only be seen moving on tractors, giving instructions to people, and chief minister asked them to have patience in this worse situation.

“And, our Chief Minister asks us to have patience… for how long Mr. CM?… its sixth day today and we’re still trapped like in an island,” an older person said.

People living in the area said that waterlogging is not new to them but the recent one is result of mismanagement of government, improper construction and also the result of improper waste disposal by people, like throwing plastic bags on the roads that end up clogging drains.

Subia Fakhra

  Bihar, flood