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INDIA : India and Nepal are blaming each other for the devastating floods that have affected millions in northeast India.
Flood defences inside Nepal, but maintained by India, had failed to keep out the rising waters of the Kosi river in the Indian state of Bihar.
As the blame game continues, authorities are appealing for more aid for the survivors.
More than 90 people have died so far, but the figure could be much higher as rescue workers have yet to cover the thousands of villages in the affected areas.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated, but many others are still stranded on rooftops, trees and specks of dry land waiting to be rescued.
"I lost everything in the floods, and we had to leave our house and come to Patna. When we came here we were served food and water, and we had not eaten anything for (the) past two days. Now we'll see where we can go from here," said Sanjay Mandal, a flood victim.
Some 250 relief shelters have been set up across the state. But there is clearly not enough room for the thousands pouring in daily.
There is lack of medical facilities and people have reportedly been drinking the dirty floodwater for many days now.
Rescue workers fear the outbreak of an epidemic due to a lack of basic check-up facilities for skin, stomach and blood infections.
"We are languishing here under an open sky, facing the rains and water. There is no provision for any bedding, or facilities to protect us from the water," said Ram, another flood victim.
The monsoon season, which starts in June, brings vital rainfall for the farmers of South Asia, but can also cause widespread destruction.
Official estimates said that some 36,400 hectares of crops have been damaged in the state. The floodwaters have also submerged large parts of two main forest sanctuaries that are home to the rare one-horned rhinoceros of India.
The destruction is not as much a natural calamity as it is due to official negligence. A timely check of the barrage would have prevented the waters of Kosi River from inundating Bihar.
For now, there is little hope that the floodwaters will recede soon. - CNA /ls
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