South Asia flood victims plead for food and safe water

"We want to be evacuated, but no boats have come to take usaway to relief camps," Ravindra Yadav, a villager in flood-hitMadhepura district said by telephone. "We are hungry, we aredying."

The government said they will try to evacuate as many aspossible within the next two day, but those still stranded werefew.

About 20,000 villagers have refused to leave their homes,saying they wanted to protect their belongings, officials said.

"(The evacuation) drive will continue as per therequirement only," said Nitish Mishra, the disaster managementminister.

Aid agencies say there are still a few thousand people whohave no means to survive on their own anymore.

"We are waiting for the last three days to leave, but thereare no boats to save my family," said flood victim BadriSharma, who built a bamboo raft to flee, but which proved notgood enough to negotiate the swift river current.

Flood waters in the eastern state of Bihar have beenreceding over the past week in some areas, exposing bloatedbodies and rotting carcasses caught in bamboo groves andbushes.

The floods have forced more than three million people fromtheir homes in Bihar, destroyed 100,000 ha (250,000 acres) offarmland and killed at least 90 people.

The Kosi river, which originates in Nepal, burst a dam lastmonth and unleashed the worst flooding in Bihar in 50 years.

Last week, authorities airdropped leaflets to villagersappealing for thousands of people remaining in their homes toevacuate as heavy rains risked more flooding.

The government has evacuated over 900,000 people already,but there are still thousands who want to be evacuated.

Aid agencies say those marooned would probably die ofhunger.

"Only God knows what will happen to thousands of villagersstill trapped in their homes and waiting to be rescued," saidBhagwanji Pathak, chairman of a local NGO working for thedisplaced villagers.

FORCED TO SCAVENGE

Families who fled to makeshift camps were forced toscavenge for scarce food in conditions that aid agencies warnedwould expose thousands to outbreaks of disease.

Others were naming their newborns after the river inremembrance of what was lost during the floods.

"One Kosi destroyed our life and house but this Kosi hasbrought new joy in our life", said Rubi, a first-time mother.

In the northeastern Indian state of Assam, also facingfloods, at least 18 people have died and 1.3 million wereaffected when heavy rains caused the Brahmaputra river, one ofthe largest in Asia, to burst its banks.

State officials said the waters have been receding andthere have been no outbreaks of water borne diseases.

In neighbouring Bangladesh, flood waters continued to risedue to heavy rains resulting in acute shortages of drinkingwater and medicines, officials said.

The two-week old deluge swamped one third of the country'sdistricts, displacing 200,000 people from their homes andaffecting nearly four million.

(Additional reporting by Serajul Islam Quadir in Dhaka andBiswajyoti Das in Guwahati; Writing by Melanie Lee; Editing byBappa Majumdar and Jerry Norton)