India's "river of sorrow" threatens more floods

PATNA, India-Rising rivers in eastern India that swamped more land and homes on Tuesday have affected more than 2 million people, some of whom vented their anger by attacking officials trying to assess the damage.Since the monsoon began in June, torrential rains have killed more than 1,000 people in South Asia, mainly in India's states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh but also Nepal and Bangladesh.The Koshi river in the eastern state of Bihar, one of India's poorest regions, has broken its mud embankments in several places. The river also broke a dam in neighboring Nepal, sweeping away seven villages, officials said.The death toll in Bihar rose to 46 overnight after 14 more villagers drowned in swirling waters, officials said."Many villagers are still trapped and stranded at various places and our challenge is to save their lives," Nitish Mishra, a government official said.The U.N. children's fund UNICEF said cases of diarrhea and fever were being reported in makeshift camps."Given the scorching heat, unsafe drinking water and poor hygiene conditions, cases may soon increase," UNICEF said in a statement in New Delhi.Local people call the Koshi the "Sorrow of Bihar" for its regular floods and ability to quickly change course."The Koshi river has changed its course and nearly 20-25 lakh (2-2.5 million) people of the areas have been affected," Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of the state, said after an aerial survey of the flood situation.
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As in the days of Noah....