Displaced families spend month in Bhagalpur flood relief camps

The brief

Context

Floods along the Ganga in Bihar's Bhagalpur district have displaced hundreds of families who have spent nearly a month in relief camps made of black plastic sheets stretched over bamboo poles. Two major camps are described: one at Tilha Kothi inside the Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University campus, and another at the T N B Collegiate Ground. A control centre at Rabindra Bhawan, a university building, monitors relief operations, while the district administration and the state art and culture department run art therapy sessions for children. Many camp residents are migrant labourers who rushed back from cities such as Hyderabad and Ludhiana, leaving wages unpaid.

Key facts

• Families displaced by the Bhagalpur floods have lived in tents of black plastic sheets for nearly a month; floodwaters entered homes about a month before the report.
• The control centre at Rabindra Bhawan monitors relief operations including feeding around 250 families, with meals served twice a day, says teacher Hanish Kumar.
• The T N B Collegiate Ground Relief Camp feeds around 650 people from the submerged areas of Dildarpur, Shankarpur and Bairariya.
• Around 400 cattle are kept on the T N B Collegiate campgrounds, with separate arrangements for fodder and veterinary care, says teacher Mrityunjay Kumar.
• At the Tilha Kothi settlement, a medical team is stationed near the entrance and an anganwadi centre runs classes for around 30 children in two shifts.
• Children are being taught Manjusha, the traditional art form of the Bhagalpur region, along with storytelling, cultural programmes and film screenings, held daily.
• Surya Narayan Mandal, 52, has 10 family members in one shelter and owes two self-help group loans of around Rs 70,000-80,000 taken earlier this year.
• Families had harvested maize around April and stored grain at home as a cash reserve; that grain has been underwater for weeks.

Timeline

1. Around AprilFamilies harvested maize from the previous crop cycle; part consumed at home, part sold when money was needed.
2. Earlier this yearSurya Narayan Mandal took two loans of around Rs 70,000-80,000 from self-help groups for crops and household needs.
3. Nearly a month before the reportFloodwater entered homes in areas such as Didarpur Bind Tola; water rose even above the first floors of houses.
4. Days after the floodingMigrant workers including Raj Kishore, Suman Kumar and Karan Kumar returned from Hyderabad and Ludhiana, some without being paid wages.
5. Last few days before the reportLocal artists began teaching Manjusha painting and running art therapy sessions for children in the camps.
6. Expected by Chhath in NovemberUsha Devi says cleaning homes of mud and sludge and making them habitable may take until then.

Who has a stake

• Displaced families in Bhagalpur camps — Loss of documents, cash, jewellery, stored grain and homes; uncertainty over what happens after relief camps close.
• Migrant labourers from the flooded villages — Rushed back from Hyderabad and Ludhiana, losing a month's work and unpaid wages, compounding flood losses.
• Bhagalpur district administration — Running relief camps, food, medical teams, anganwadi classes and cattle arrangements; faces demands for rehabilitation on higher ground.
• Bihar state art and culture department — Runs daily art therapy, Manjusha painting and cultural programmes in collaboration with the district administration.
• Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University — Its campus, Tilha Kothi and Rabindra Bhawan are being used as a settlement and relief control centre.
• Livestock owners at T N B Collegiate Ground — Around 400 surviving cattle are their most valuable remaining asset; future fodder and water supply is uncertain.
• Teachers deployed at camps (Hanish Kumar, Mrityunjay Kumar) — Overseeing food preparation and camp management alongside their regular duties.

Why it matters

The story shows how an annual Ganga flood turns into a prolonged livelihood crisis: stored grain that worked as a household bank account is destroyed, self-help group loans remain unpaid, and migrant earnings are lost when workers rush home. Relief camps provide food, medical help and even art therapy, but residents say what they need is permanent rehabilitation on higher ground rather than repeated camp stays. It highlights the gap between short-term relief and long-term resettlement in flood-prone Bihar.