South Asia Natural Disaster

Bihar, India

Location

In recent years, India has experienced increasingly extreme weather conditions. Especially in Bihar, where the heavy summer monsoons killed hundreds of people and collapsed homes. This region is prone to natural disasters like flooding because Bihar's many rivers pose the threat of floodwaters, Bihar consists of low-lying villages vulnerable to flooding, and increasing rainfalls which causing spate in the rivers originating from the Himalayan region. Our aide should be focusing on this region because it accounts for about half of India’s average annual flood losses, and 76% of the population in Bihar is threatened by the devastating flood. As one of India’s most flood-prone states, Bihar is in need of immediate help to recover from the devastating floods from the recent years.

Cultural Considerations

Today, India is a very diverse country, with many different cultures living in Bihar. This is why we need to think about their cultural characteristics of the region before proving proper help. One example would be that most Hindus are vegetarians who strictly forbids pork, beefs and eggs. This means that for their food supply, we need to include meats of other kinds and more vegetables. Another instance would be traditional Hindu women view sari as an important garment that they have to wear everyday. So when we provide them with cloths, we have to give them culturally appropriate outfits like the saree. Another thing we need to pay attention while creating shelters for the flood-refugees is that Hindus are strong believers of the caste system, which means that we need to build shelters that can successfully avoid conflicts between different castes.

Supplies Needed

Flooding can result in the loss of home, financial support, and food resources for the people in Bihar, so we must prepare enough supplies in all kinds of aspects. For hygiene items, we can provide them with baby diapers, shampoos and body wash, toothbrush and toothpaste, paper items, and sanitary necessities. Food-wise, water supplies (since many irrigation systems and access to drinkable water are destroyed), mainly vegetables (since cows are sacred in Hinduism and people are vegetarian), soup, and anything simple for families to prepare (since cooking devices are either flooded or not environmental-friendly). Clothing supplies needed include sari (which values greatly to Hindu women),shoes, towels, and washcloths.

Supplies

The Plan

The issue of flooding needs a plan, quick. So here are the steps towards a healthier flood condition and better healthcare and living standards after the flood:

-The first thing to do is to provide the flood-refugees with needed supplies, such as shelter, food and water, and daily necessities to improve their short-term conditions.

-After the affected people are settled into safer shelters, we need to overcome the devastating effects by removing floodwater from homes, clearing the river channels, and cleansing the dried-out areas.

-After the situation is successfully taken care of and the villagers are being treated, the government need to take actions that can prevent future floods. Like introducing better flood warning systems, developing the above-flood-areas, increasing spending on flood defenses, establishing water storage, and building flood barriers.

-Lastly, environmental actions must be taken to reduce floods in the future. Examples include addressing climate change, protecting wetlands, planting trees (decrease deforestation), improving soil conditions (stop soil erosion).

Costs of the Project

Costs

Because the summer monsoon brought an enormous amount of flood to Bihar, many people lost their homes and are now living in harsh conditions. In fact, 3 million+ people were affected, thousands of crops were destroyed, and more.

-First, for the spending on general flood defense and recovering technologies is 77 billion rupees ($1.4 billion). These include irrigation channels, flood control, and energy.

-The recovery costs of priority sectors like housing, utilities, livelihoods, health, environment, and cultural heritage are estimated to be about 263 billion rupees ($3.5 billion).

-Relief allowances and food supplies to affected families will be approximately 900 million rupees ($1.2 million).

-Environmental measures that can reduce future flooding/erosion damages cost about 1 billion rupees ($13 million).

-Finally, food supplies and daily necessities are estimated to cost 9.8 billion rupees ($125 million).

In all, the aide budget is around $5.2 billion. The cost for each person is about $1,733 (most of that will go to living necessities and vegetarian-friendly foods).

Why is This Plan Important?

Why Should You Consider This Plan

As one of the worst affected areas by the summer monsoon, Bihar is in urgent need of financial support, social recovery, resource management, family guidance, etc. Its 3 million people are being heavily affected by the devastating effects of the flood. Crops and farms are destroyed, drinkable water sources are contaminated by floodwater, and homes are flooded. As the Red Cross, it is our job to help the Biharis to overcome condition hardships and provide them with all kinds of supplies needed to survive. After the situation is taken care of, it is also our duty to help the local governments on improving flood defense, introduce more advanced barriers and technologies, and establish safe water storage. With our help, the region can suffer less and be more prepared for future floods in the upcoming years.