North Bihar

Agricultural economy

Agriculture is the main economic activity of the region.

The above industries have generated considerable employment and have also been helpful in establishing a number of small industries including a few cottage industries. The most important item that is manufactured in Muzaffarpur city is railway wagon. While Darbhanga is well known for producing quality makhana (fox nut) most of them are exported to other parts of India and dudhia malda variety of mangoes.

Natural floods

Since the beginning of human civilization, rivers have been an important part of human life. North Bihar has 7 major rivers and several tributaries to them. All these rivers receive water from the Himalaya. This is the reason that these rivers never have a shortage of water. Every year, any of these rivers had been bringing valuable floods for the people of North Bihar. Flood waters used to enter the agricultural land, leave their quite fertile silt and recede to the river. This pattern of humane flood was a boon for North Bihar. This made her land extremely fertile. But, natural floods are no more in North Bihar.

Man-made floods

Soon after independence, the Congress Government of Bihar made several attempts to domesticate these rivers. High barriers or Bandhs were made on their both banks. This resulted in inhumane and destructive floods. Bandhs caused deposition of silts in the bottom of rivers, because of which, depth of rivers decreased, and so their water holding capacity also decreased. This is the reason these rivers bring more frequent floods now. With flood water, sand comes in force and gets deposited on the land. This way the land of the region in turning barren. Floods, which were once a boon for North Bihar, has now turned to be a curse for it.

Kosi flood 2008

2008 Kosi flood

Flooded North Bihar
Date	18 August 2008
Location	North Bihar
Deaths	434[21] (Dead bodies were found until 27 November 2008)

The 2008 Kosi flood was one of the most disastrous floods in the history of North Bihar, an impoverished and densely populated region in India. A breach in the Kosi embankment near the Indo-Nepal border (at Kusha in Nepal) occurred on 18 August 2008. The river changed course and inundated areas which hadn't experienced floods in many decades.^[22] The flood affected over 2.3 million people in North Bihar.^[23]

The flood killed 250 people and forced nearly 3 million people from their homes in North Bihar.^[24] More than 300,000 houses were destroyed and at least 340,000 hectares (840,000 acres) of crops were damaged.^[24] Villagers in North Bihar ate raw rice and flour mixed with polluted water. Hunger and disease were widespread. The Supaul district was the worst-hit; surging waters swamped 1,000 square kilometres (247,000 acres) of farmlands, destroying crops.^[25]

• 
  The Kosi before it flooded in August 2008
• 
  The Kosi during the August 2008 flood
• 
  Satellite image of flood waters in Bihar as of 31 August 2008; Image:UNOSAT

2017 North Bihar Floods

2017 North Bihar Flood

Date	August 2017
Location	North Bihar, India
Deaths	514

2017 Floods affected 19 districts of North Bihar causing death of 514 people.^{[26][27][28][29][30]} This flood was result of sudden increase in water discharge through rivers- Gandak, Burhi Gandak and Bagmati, Kamla, Kosi and Mahananda- due to heavy rain in the catchment areas of the major rivers of north Bihar in Nepal.^[31] Araria district accounted for 95 deaths alone,^[32] followed by Sitamarhi (34), West Champaran (29), Katihar (26), East Champaran (19) while 22 have died in Madhubani, Supaul(13) and Madhepura(15). 11 deaths were reported in Kishanganj, while Darbhanga accounted for 19 deaths, Purnea (9), Gopalganj (9), Sheohar(4), Muzaffarpur(7), Samastipur(1) and Saharsa(4) registered four deaths each while Khagaria and Saran accounted for 7 deaths each. Around 1.71 crore people are hit by the floods.^{[33][34][35][36]}