Thousands of Muslims in the flood-hit districts of Kishanganj, Purnea, Araria and Katihar are observing the Ramadan fast despite struggling to survive amid inadequate relief. Feroz Ahmad, a flood victim from Bahadurganj (Kishanganj) said, "It is difficult to observe fast when there is no arrangement for Iftar at sunset to break the day-long fast and vail Sehri (the meal taken before the break of dawn). Instead of traditional food cooked at home, we are eating chura-gur (beaten rice and jaggery) and unsafe water, which is affecting our health. Feroz along with his wife and four children have taken shelter in a school building where dozens, mostly their neighbours, are waiting for two days to get relief.
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| A Flood Hit Village |
Another flood victim, Manzar Alam from Purnia said, "it was a challenge to observe fast in such a situation. We have nothing to eat." Alam has took shelter at a high-rise embankment near a police station in Purnea district. There is a sizeable Muslim population in Seemanchal, which includes Kishanganj, Araria, Purnia and Katihar districts.
More than eight lakh people have been affected by floods in over half a dozen districts in Bihar, with thousands forced to flee their homes, reviving fears of the 2008 devastation. In Kishanganj alone, more than three lakh people have been hit by floods followed by two lakh each in Purnea and Katihar. Till date, the floods have claimed 27 lives in Bihar.
