By Biswajyoti Das
GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) - Fresh monsoon flooding broughtmore death and distress across South Asia on Tuesday, whilemany of the hundreds of thousands of flood victims in reliefcamps complained of poor facilities.
Seven people drowned when overnight rains caused moreflooding in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, raising thedeath toll to 25 since the Brahamaputra river burst its banksand submerged villages last week.
Thousands of angry villagers in Assam took to the streetson Tuesday to protest against the government's failure toprevent the disaster.
They accused authorities of not preventing erosion alongthe banks of the Brahamaputra, one of Asia's largest rivers.
Officials were clearly worried.
"The flood situation could turn worse if it starts rainingagain," a disaster management official said.
At least 1,000 people have drowned or died in housecollapses or from snake bites across South Asia this monsoonseason.
Authorities in the flood-hit Indian state of Bihar pulledout six of the 11 military helicopters from relief operations,saying evacuations were nearly over.
"We think there is not much requirement for helicopters atthe moment," Bihar Disaster Management Minister Nitish Mishratold Reuters.
The Kosi river, which originates in Nepal, burst a dam lastmonth and unleashed the worst flooding in 50 years. About threemillion people have been displaced from their homes in Biharand some 900,000 people have been evacuated to relief camps.
Of those evacuated to the camps, about 15,000-20,000 peoplewent back home to protect belongings, complaining of filth andsickness in the camps.
"I have not taken a bath for the last 20 days since I don'thave a spare sari ... It's a hell," said 25-year-old KetakiDevi of Madhepura district said after leaving one of the camps.
Indian media and flood experts have criticised thegovernment's response to the crisis as weak and ineffective.
NO FUEL TO COOK
In neighbouring Bangladesh, heavy flooding continued innorthern districts and rural areas, leaving thousands of peoplewithout food, drinking water and cooking fuel.
Villagers went without food for days in Bogra, said KhairulAlam, a local official in Bangladesh's northern district.
"Even those who have some ability cannot cook as theirhouses are under waist-deep water," Alam told Reuters.
The two-week old flood has killed 12 people in fivenorthern districts in Bangladesh and affected nearly fourmillion people, of whom nearly 200,000 have been forced fromtheir homes.
Health officials said water-borne diseases such asdysentery, skin diseases and diarrhoea have broken out in manyareas and army and medical personnel were distributingmedicines.
But many said they were not getting any help fromauthorities.
"I am here with my family for about a week without any helpfrom anyone," said one villager from Kurigram in Bangladesh'snorthern district.
(Additional reporting by Hasibur Rahman in Bogra; Writingby Melanie Lee; Editing by Bappa Majumdar and Paul Tait)
