Flood Relief Activities of the

Mata Amritanandamayi Math in Bihar

The Kosi river is called the Sorrow of Bihar. Almost every year
there are floods and they are more or less expected. But this
year something unexpected happened.
These were paddy fields – now it is like a lake many feet deep.
We had to go by boat to many places.
 Due to heavy
rains and
disrepair a dam
along the border,
in neighbouring
Nepal burst and
the waters
flooded into the This was a home…
Kosi which burst
its banks and That which looks like a lake
flooded five was actually agricultural land.
districts of Bihar. The waters rushed over the
plains, washing away huts and
houses, killing many
unsuspecting farmers, their
livestock too was decimated.
They fled for their lives – sometimes
wading and walking through the rising
waters for as much as twenty thirty
kilometers, carrying their children and
belongings on their heads and
shoulders – escaping to higher ground.
IN THE 5 AFFECTED DISTRICTS ABOUT 14,00,000 PEOPLE WERE
AFFECTED.

• The waters started rising in

the middle of the night – by
the time we called everybody
in our homes the water had
already risen to our knees, a
few minutes more and it rose
up to our chest. Many did not
make it out.
The villagers of a stranded
village narrating their woes
• Getting to know of this to the ashramites.
disaster Amma immediately
sent Br. Sadashiv Chaitanya
from Kolkata and Br Nijamrita
Chaitanya from our HQ in
Kerala to assess the situation
and see in what ways the
ashram could help.

• At the same time Amma sent

a medical team from the
ashrams super speciality
 What we saw there…

• Water stretched on all

sides for kilometers. A
vast swath of land 21
kms wide was under
the water. The water
was 10 to 15 feet
deep in places. People
were living where they
could – on high
embankments, on the
sides of roads, in
make-shift camps.
Some had received
some form of tarpaulin
or tent but many had
nothing… they spent
their time in the open.
Some abandoned huts –
seen after the waters had Wherever we went we just saw water – for miles
receded to some extent. on end. The volume of water was just
unbelievable. It seemed like it was only because of
the bamboo and trees that there were still isolated
stretches of land.

A young man
swims through the
water to our boat,
holding his
clothes aloft.
In one lesser
affected area – a
A window and a wall – man showing to
what height the
all that is left of a
waters rose – the
house, inside is but waterline is evident
 Isolated
hamlets.
People waiting
for the boat
where there
was once a
road – the
waters run
about 12 feet
deep.
These are photos taken after about a month after
the flooding. One can imagine the extent of the
mayhem and damage in the initial days. We had
been too busy initially to take photographs. There
was just too much to do.

Surrounded on all sides by

water. People gather on the
roof of a local school to
watch us draw near. These
are the lucky ones – there
are whole villages and
panchayats which have just
disappeared off the face of
the map.
On one side our
team of doctors What we did…
had already
started work. We
went from place to
place – sometimes
in a car,
sometimes in a
motor boat and at
other times we
rowed ourselves.
Some places where the car would not
go we walked. In many places the
roads and bridges had been washed
away.

Many a times we went with

our medical team to the
hamlets and relief camps.
A boat with our doctors,
paramedics, some locals –
all under the glaring sun.
Many were the days when
Medical camps were most in
we went without food and
need. We had 12 doctors
water almost the whole
and 10, nurses, paramedics,
day.
etc with us.
Medical camps were held
extensively over the two districts of
Purnia and Supaul.
Depending on the number of cases
as also the illness at times we
would expend medicines worth
over a lakh rupees a day.
Malnourishment and anemia were very
common. When we tested we found the
iron count of one pregnant lady to be
three – immediately one of our doctors
donated their own blood for the
woman. Otherwise she might have
expired in a day or two.
 Inaugural Function of our first shelters at Bhawanipur

The medical
camps would go
on throughout
the day and
sometimes in to Shri. Avadh Narain Singh, the Labour
the night. Minister of Bihar officially inaugurating our
shelters.
 The new
inmates moving
into the
shelters at
Bhawanipur.

Thousands of
Blankets and
clothing were
distributed to
all the people
in the camp.

At places the road had

been washed away –
with great difficulty and
risk – here on the bridge
one of the rear wheels
was hanging in air on
the bend - the
telemedicine bus after
rendering invaluable
service in Purnia
In the mean time the telemedicine bus – district, came to Supaul
equipped with X-ray, Path lab, ECG district.
machine, ventilator, etc along with a
speciality ambulance was brought from
Cochinto Katihar by a special Engine.
 For kilometers
refugees were
staying on the
embankments of
the canal and
wherever there was
high ground. Our
doctors went to
wherever the
people were
staying.

Side by side work on our second camp had

started in Laharniya village in Supaul district.
After going to different places in all the affected
districts, we settled on building our camp at this
location.
 Dr. Sarwan
Kumar, the
Collector of
Supaul
inaugurating
our shelters
at Leherniya
near Bhooti
pul.

At the inaugural function of our Shelter

in Supaul. The law and order situation
in Bihar is such that even bureaucrats
require heavy protection.
Our
Camp in
AT OUR CAMP… Laharniya
, Supaul.

We have set up a temporary

hospital with in-patient facility,
which is supported by the
equipment in the telemedicine
bus & the speciality
ambulance.
The telemedicine bus
is used for all sorts
of diagnosis as also
live consultation on
complicated cases,
with our expert
doctors in AIMS.

A child with a torn

cheek – the doctors
finger passed through
the cheek when he
was examining the
patient. It was stitched
together at our IP.

The area lacks any We provide medical

sort of special medical aid to not only the
services – the local inhabitants of the
hospitals lack basic camp but also other
things like gloves and refugees and local
BP apparatus. If we villagers too.
had not been there
A child with severe
even simple cases
chest infection. Her
would have become
only hope is in our
complicated. doctors.
 The children Distribution of Educational
in the camp aids to the children in our
have regular camp.
classes
according to
the grades
they are in.

Sweets are given to

the children on the
occasion of Diwali.

Distribution of blankets and clothes.

The children at the camp are The activities of the Amma’s

encouraged to take part in sports.
Above – the children learning to play
badminton.
ashram, which are but
expressions of Amma’s infinite
love and compassion have
brought a smile to a few faces,
hope has been kindled in a few
hearts…
Telemedicine in action
 Mobile Intensive Care unit
• Another ambulance which is a Mobile intensive
care unit/ Cardiac Care Unit was also sent
alongwith the tele medicine ambulance.
Many difficult cases were handled with
expertise by our medical team
A child with severe burns.
 Child Births
Several deliveries took place at our
Inpatient hospital in Laharniya Village,
Supaul dt. including one in our
ambulance.

Long queues for medical treatment

wherever the doctors visited.
 M A Math’s Kosi Flood Relief
Work in Bihar
• 1) Set up Two relief camps for about 1500 flood affected victims at Bowanipur, Purnea and
Leherniya, Tribeni Ganj, Supaul.

• 2) Amma dispatched a top class medical team for medical relief with Super specialist
doctors, nurses, paramedics, technicians, and volunteers led by the monastics of the math
for more than two months.

• 3) 100 medical camps were conducted by the Medical team, treating over 50,000 patients in
the two districts. Our well stocked pharmacy was one of the reasons why our medical
team could be so effective.

• 4) Two state – of - the art Ambulances (a) Telemedicine ambulance with X ray, ECG,
Pathological lab, and other medical facilities. (b) A Cardiac Care Mobile ambulance was
transported from our AIMS Hospital in Cochin, Kerala to flood affected districts of Bihar
and it was used here till the Govt local administration needs were met.

• 5) Set up a temporary inpatient hospital at Leherniya, Supaul for a month.

• 6) Distributed several thousand nos of blankets, tarpaulins, clothes, educational aids, food
materials..
 Diwali
On the occasion 0f Diwali children and adults were give
New clothes, special food & sweets
 The joy and sorrow…
Though most of the people who had survived the flood
were hopeful of a brighter future, there were those
who were beyond hope…

May compassionate Amma bless these souls…