The state of Bihar is experiencing the worst monsoon season in the last 30 years. The Government of Bihar State reports that over 21 million people in 10,000 villages of 20 districts have been affected. Currently, nearly 10 million people are seeking shelter in 1,328 relief camps in the state. UNDP states that over 521,441 homes have been damaged and 167,700 hectares of land has been destroyed by the floods in Bihar . The rains have stopped in Bihar temporarily, but as it continues to rain in the highlands, the rivers flow from the north and flood the lowlands of Bihar . Many predict that in northern India the floods will have a greater impact than the Asian tsunami in 2004.  

Within the first few days of the massive flooding, PCI placed an assessment team on the ground to address this crisis. PCI plans to meet the immediate needs of flood victims in the State of Bihar , districts of Madhubani, Dharbanga and Samasthipur, where they require urgent support to meet shelter, food security, water and sanitation, medical and livelihood needs. To date, the items in immediate need in Madhubani are rice, flour and dal, as well as cooking utensils, which were all washed away with the floods. 

From August 23, 2007 – September 20, 2007, the PCI mobile health van and team has conducted health camps in 27 villages in Dharbanga, Madhubani and Samasthipur districts. The health camps have served 8,000 patients (1,761 men, 4,643 women, 1,120 boys, and 482 girls) and the team continues to serve many more each day. The health van is identifying and treating the four most common health issues in Madhubani, which are diarrhea, gastroenteritis, tuberculosis, and kala azar. In Dharbanga, after diarrhea, cholera has been the most prominent health issue with 25 cases already identified. 

AmeriCares has generously granted an in-kind donation of essential medicine and high energy biscuits to supply the mobile health van. The biscuits will be prescribed by the doctor to the children in the most need. The medicine is currently in transit and the first consignment will reach Madhubani by September 28, 2007. 

Through the mobile van, PCI has distributed 10,000 liters potable water donated by PepsiCo. The mobile health van doctor prescribed and dispersed the water to the neediest families at the health camps.

As you might recall, PCI was at the forefront of efforts to assist tsunami victims in late 2004 providing temporary housing, schools, non-formal education centers, crèches and other community infrastructure, as well as an integrated package of community support and improvement services. Three years later, PCI is one of the few NGOs to continue to provide ongoing development support to those impacted by the after-affects of the tsunami. 

Project Concern International/India (PCI/India) established its presence in India in 1997, and was registered as an Indian Charitable Society in 1998. PCI received its FCRA status in 2001, which enables it to directly implement projects using foreign currency resources. PCI/India has its country office in New Delhi and six state regional offices through which it manages a diverse program portfolio in the areas of integrated health and community development, HIV/AIDS, street and working children, institutional capacity building, polio eradication, water & sanitation, humanitarian assistance and micro-enterprise. Programs focus on low-income, vulnerable populations, especially women of reproductive age and children.