India, Nepal bicker over cause of flood

`DAM IT': While Bihar faulted Nepal's failure to build dams to control water from the Himalayas, Kathmandu said Indian dams were to blame for the rash of flooding

AGENCIES, KATHMANDU AND PATNA, INDIA
Tuesday, Aug 07, 2007, Page 5

Three-year-old Rani blows into an earthen oven at a temporary shelter set up alonga national highway beside the flooded village of Muzaffarpur, India, yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

India and Nepal blamed each other yesterday for some of the worst flooding in South Asia in decades, which has affected 25 million people and left rescuers scrambling to help victims.

Officials in Bihar, the Indian state worst affected by the inundation, said neighboring Nepal had failed to build dams to control water surging down from the Himalayas.

But Nepal hit back immediately, claiming that Indian dams were to blame for the flooding in Nepal.

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Global warming effected at flood crisis in the UK

The insurance companies calculate losses, and weather forecasters predict worsening of a situation

After long rains the largest rivers of England – The Thames and The Severn have overflowed. Under water there was a territories of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Oxfordshire .Without light and waters sit tens thousand people. On preliminary data, the sum of damage can make up to two billions pounds. Water continues to approach.

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In the help to the population the army is involved, but in some areas marauding in spite of prospers. Robbers ruin the thrown houses and steal cars. The total cost of payments of the British insurance companies related with flooding in the Great Britain on June and July can make more than 3 billion £, is spoken in the message of international rating agency Fitch Ratings

For the British insurance sector flooding have the largest influence of all insurance payments by act of nature. In 1990 flooding and storm in the Great Britain have cost insurers £ 2,2 billion. As a result of last flooding in the Great Britain, begun in June of the last year, also because of pouring rains, in significant territory of the country the railway communication has been interrupted, power stations are deduced out of operation, about 350 thousand person have stayed without potable water and at least two person were lost.

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Flood-hit Bihar hungry for news

Abhay Mohan Jha

Sunday, August 5, 2007 (Patna)

In Bihar, the flood situation is getting from bad to worse but a radio station is creating wave.

Bablu Paswan, a farmer, has fled to the safety of national highway from his flood-submerged village in Darbhaga district of Bihar. The tractor is his new abode.

The radio is a steady friend, getting him news from across the border FM radio channel. Apart from food and water, there is also hunger for news.

''The news we are listening to about this is from Nepal,'' says Paswan.

Although the local radio station is jammed, yet their radio sets are attracting people at various places in the marooned city for latest updates.

''The local radio station is closed and whatever we are listening to is coming from Nepal radio,'' says Suresh Kushawaha, a paan shop owner.


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Flood victims vent ire on Nitish

Statesman News Service
PATNA, Aug. 3: Fed up with annual flooding that leaves thousands of people homeless, Bihar’s flood refugees have starting giving vent to their frustration, with one group of villagers gheraoing the chief minister and assaulting a local legislator today.
Faced with a scarcity of relief materials and administrative slackness, groups of flood victims, forced to live in the open on river embankments, railway lines and on the national highways, have started mobbing officials and demonstrating on the streets.
Mr Nitish Kumar, who was reviewing the flood situation in Darbhanga today during an aerial survey following his week-long tour to Mauritius, found a hostile reception.
The message from the irate villagers was clear: “We don’t want your relief - we want a permanent solution to the flooding every year.”

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Flood displaces hundreds of animals in Kaziranga park

Sushanta Talukdar

Brahmaputra flood waters submerge about 80 per cent of the park area in Assam
Guwahati: Hundreds of animals in the Kaziranga National Park in Assam were displaced after flood waters of the Brahmaputra submerged about 80 per cent of the park area. A number of animals were run over by speeding vehicles when they were crossing the national highway to safer places, while several were drowned. The park authorities have rescued several animals from drowning.

The flood situation in the Pobitora National Park in central Assam’s Morigaon district remained critical. The entire park area and the road leading to it remain submerged since July 23. The park is the only rhinoceros habitat in the world, with the highest concentration of one-horned rhinoceros. The animals have taken shelter on the three highlands. The authorities rescued two rhinoceros calves on Thursday. Three wild boar calves drowned.

Seven deer killed

Divisional Forest Officer (Kaziranga) Bankim Sarma told The Hindu that seven hog deer had been killed by speeding vehicles. A rhino, a swamp deer, three hog deer and three wild boar were reported to have been drowned till Friday.

The park authorities rescued 17 flood-hit and distressed hog deer and they were being treated at the Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre.

He said 885 hog deer, 112 elephants and 50 wild buffaloes crossed over to the National Highway No, 37, which passes through the park area to the highlands of Karbi Anglong on the southern side. The highway touches the park over a stretch of 30 km.

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Flood plain homes 'not ruled out'

Homes on flood plains are at greater risk in heavy rains

The government has not ruled out more development on flood plains, as it unveils plans for 3m new homes by 2020.

Housing Minister Yvette Cooper told MPs new guidance would require councils "to plan more widely for the consequences of climate change," including flooding.

The Housing Green Paper says councils should get Environment Agency advice on the flood risk of new developments.

The Tories say plans will put more homes at risk, as floods swamp parts of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.

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