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{{Short description|Flood in India}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2013}}{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox weather event
|image location =
|caption = Flooded north [[Bihar]], [[India]]
|name = 2007 Bihar flood
}}{{Infobox weather event/History
|duration = August 2007
}}{{Infobox weather event/Effects
|total damages =
|fatalities = 1,287
|affected = [[Bihar]], [[Uttar Pradesh]] and [[Nepal]]
}}{{Infobox weather event/Footer}}

The '''2007 Bihar flood''' occurred in August 2007 in the east Indian state of [[Bihar]]. It was described by the United Nations as the worst flood in the living memory of Bihar.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/aug/06bihar.htm|title = Floods: Helpless Bihar seeks PM's help}}</ref> Although annual floods are common in Bihar,<ref>A CASE STUDY INTO THE BAGMATI FLOOD FORECASTING IN NORTH BIHAR, https://swat.tamu.edu/media/114999/f2_1_sharan.pdf</ref> heavier than usual rainfall during the monsoon season that year led to increasing water levels. By 3 August, the estimated death toll was 41 people, and 48 schoolgirls were marooned in a school in the [[Darbhanga]] district.<ref name="HT">{{cite news|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?id=350136a1-29a2-44bb-a354-ed2dda77a713&&Headline=North+India+inundated|title=North India inundated|newspaper=[[Hindustan Times]]|date=3 August 2007|access-date=23 November 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080205020930/http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?id=350136a1-29a2-44bb-a354-ed2dda77a713&&Headline=North+India+inundated|archive-date=5 February 2008|url-status=dead}} Last accessed 3 August 2007.</ref> By 8 August, the flooding had impacted an estimated 10 million people in Bihar.<ref>{{cite news
|title=Hunger, disease stalk children hit by South Asia floods |url=http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL187242.htm
|agency=[[Reuters]]
|date=8 August 2007
|access-date=2007-08-15}}</ref> Army helicopters delivered food packets to residents, and 180 relief camps were established. By 10 August, aid workers in Bihar reported a dramatic increase in people with diarrhea<ref>{{cite news
|title=Bangladeshi hospital struggles to cope with flood victims |url=http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL241115.htm
|agency=[[Reuters]]|date=10 August 2007 |access-date=2007-08-15}}</ref> and by 11 August, flood-related deaths were still occurring.<ref>{{cite news
|title=Flood victims clash with police in India, 30 hurt |url=http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL219103.htm
|agency=[[Reuters]]
|date=11 August 2007
|access-date=2007-08-15}}</ref> The total number of deaths recorded in the 2007 Bihar floods was more than 1,3050, the highest death toll in the state since the 1987 Bihar floods, in which more than 2,500 deaths were reported.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/interactives/bihar-floods-2017/|title=Bihar's scary new flood}}</ref>

==Incident==

The states of [[Bihar]] and [[Uttar Pradesh]] were the most affected due to their high population density. Nearly two million people, spread over eleven districts in Bihar, were affected by the floods. Many major rivers, including the [[Ganges]], [[Punpun River|Punpun]], [[Bagmati River|Bagmati]], [[Gandaki River|Gandak]], and [[Kosi River|Kosi]], flowed above the danger mark.

Rainfall in July exceeded the monthly average over a 30-year period by a factor of five, leading to more than 40% of the state of Bihar being submerged. The town of Darbhanga and its surrounding areas were among the most severely affected locations in the state, and roads leading to other areas were rendered impassable by the flood. Many residents were forced to seek refuge on higher ground, while others were marooned and unable to access assistance.<ref>Jason Motlagh, [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/05/MN8IRVS55.DTL&hw=muzaffarpur&sn=001&sc=1000 "Floods devastate northern India state 20 million people affected and 4,000 die – officials blame onset of climate change"], Chronicle Foreign Service, 5 October 2007, "Flooding has submerged more than 40 percent of Bihar, and Relief Commissioner R. Srivastava, citing government figures, said rainfall in July was five times higher than the monthly average over a 30-year span."</ref>

==Affected areas==
The flood affected 19 districts of the state. Some of the worst affected districts were [[Muzaffarpur]], [[Sitamarhi]], [[Saharsa]], [[East Champaran]], [[Supaul]], [[Darbhanga]], [[Patna]], [[Bhagalpur]], [[West Champaran]], [[Katihar]], [[Madhubani district|Madhubani]], [[Samastipur]], [[Sheohar]], [[Nalanda]], [[Khagaria]], [[Gopalganj district, India|Gopalganj]], [[Madhepura]], [[Araria]], and [[Begusarai]].<ref name="affact">{{Cite web |url=http://act-intl.org/news/dt_nr_2007/CASA_SITREP_EastIndiaFloods2007_090807.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=25 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821122548/http://act-intl.org/news/dt_nr_2007/CASA_SITREP_EastIndiaFloods2007_090807.pdf |archive-date=21 August 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Impact==

At least 4,822 villages and 10,000,000 hectares of farm land were affected. About 29,000 houses were destroyed and 44,000 houses were damaged by the floods. Thousands of people were shifted to places of safety, including relief camps.<ref name="affact"/>

==Response==
The United Nations described the flood as the worst to occur in the living memory of Bihar.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Indian |first=The Logical |date=2015-11-10 |title=[Watch/Read] Displaced in 2007, Waiting for Compensation in 2015: A Bihar Story |url=https://thelogicalindian.com/news/watchread-displaced-in-2007-waiting-for-compensation-in-2015-a-bihar-story/ |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=thelogicalindian.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Relief work==
===Assistance implemented===
Grain (38,86,896 Qtls) distributed to affected families was around 50 lakhs. For emergency expenses (Rs 20/- per adult and Rs 15/- per child) that a person is entitled for, GoB had, till August 2008, paid Rs. 84.05 Crores against a demand of Rs. 1105 Crores made to the center. This was just about 8 per cent of the requirement.<ref name="Dinesh">Mishra Dinesh Kumar, ''Bihar Floods of 2007– 1'', EPW, 23 November 2007</ref>

==See also==
*[[2004 Bihar flood]]
*[[2008 Bihar flood]]
*[[2008 Indian floods]]
*[[Koshi river]]
*[[Floods in Bihar]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Kosi Division topics}}
{{Darbhanga Division topics}}
{{Purnia Division topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bihar Flood (2007)}}
[[Category:2007 disasters in India|Bihar flood]]
[[Category:Floods in Bihar]]
[[Category:2007 floods in Asia]]
[[Category:2007 in Nepal]]

2007 Bihar flood - Revision history

imported>SAHIL GEHLOT at 07:21, 6 October 2024