[Today’s Prayer] 5 Million Affected by Flooding in Bihar, India… Impact of Nepal Glacier Collapse Adds to Disaster

In Bihar, eastern India, record-breaking rainfall caused seven major rivers to simultaneously exceed dangerous water levels, resulting in approximately 5 million people being displaced. The effects of a massive glacier collapse and flash floods that occurred in the upstream region of Nepal last month flowed downstream, making the damage even worse.

According to local media and Channel News Asia (CNA) on the 16th (local time), the Bihar State Disaster Management Department announced the previous day that approximately 5 million residents had been affected by the flooding. The Bihar Water Resources Department reported that all seven major rivers in the state had exceeded levels at which there is a risk of embankment failure.

The flooding, which has continued since the beginning of this month, has reportedly claimed 20 lives so far. Farmland has also been submerged, and damage to crops continues to grow rapidly.

Bihar is located downstream from Nepal, which borders the Himalayan mountain range, and is considered one of the areas in India most vulnerable to flooding.

(Omitted)

At the time, the Bihar authorities fully opened all 36 sluice gates along the Gandak River and issued an alert throughout the downstream areas. However, enormous amounts of sediment and debris flowing down from Nepal covered the downstream basin, causing the damage to spread further.

(Omitted)

Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said, “We are continuing to provide food, drinking water, and medicine to the affected households,” adding, “Our top priority is to establish fundamental reconstruction measures that go beyond simply restoring what was damaged.”

However, the suffering of local residents has reached an extreme level. One resident of Saran district said, “The floods that we experience every year feel like a fate we cannot escape,” but added, “We are desperately struggling because we do not have even basic food or clean water to eat and drink right now, let alone milk to feed our children.”

A resident of Vaishali district also reported that their home had been submerged and that they had evacuated to the roof, saying, “We cannot even cook and have become displaced, barely surviving while drinking contaminated water.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi dispatched a joint investigation team from the federal government to begin assessing the extent of the damage.

(Remainder omitted)

Source: Asia Today

“He preserves our soul among the living and does not allow our feet to slip.” (Psalm 66:9)

We are saddened to hear the news that approximately 5 million people have been displaced in Bihar, eastern India, as seven major rivers in the state have exceeded dangerous water levels following record-breaking rainfall and the effects of the massive glacier collapse and flash floods that occurred in Nepal last month and flowed downstream.

Lord, please have mercy on the displaced people of Bihar, India, who have lost their homes and livelihoods because of the flooding and are unable to continue their daily lives. May You restore their lives, and may our merciful God comfort the grieving hearts of the families of the 20 people who have lost their lives.

May the Indian government care for its people, who suffer from disasters year after year. Please give them wisdom from God so that they may quickly assess the extent of the current damage in India and establish fundamental reconstruction measures. May they firmly strengthen and maintain the embankments so that collapses can be prevented in advance. May the farmland damaged by the floods, as well as the contaminated environments where people cannot obtain even basic food and clean water, be restored quickly.

For this, may the global Church share in the suffering of the people of Bihar, India, and bring healing to the impoverished hearts of the people of India, proclaiming the Lord God who saves the souls of India. May the Church provide basic necessities for the people of India who have left their homes and are staying in shelters after being evacuated, so that the Gospel may flow to them.

Also, may the Indian Church share the Gospel with the displaced people through the love of Jesus Christ, who turns sorrow into joy. May they willingly offer everything necessary for relief and restoration in the affected areas, giving it to You as an offering to the Lord.

And through all of this, may India rise firmly with the joy of salvation and advance as soldiers of the Gospel, moving toward the nations that are suffering!