Photos: How repeated incidents have made Muzaffarpur a hub of bad news

Muzaffarpur, the second-largest city of Bihar, has become a hub of bad news after a string of incidents in the city. In April 2018, a report by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) blew the lid off allegations of years of sexual abuse, rape, torture and murder of girl inmates at a shelter home run by a non-government organisation. After this, there was an outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) that claimed 162 lives in May and June. And now, heavy rains have led to floods, affecting around 4,00,000 people.

Updated on: Aug 14, 2019 7:27 PM IST

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Flooded Burhi Gandak river in Muzzaffarpur. Floods are an almost annual phenomenon in Muzaffarpur, which lies in the way of five Himalayan rivers that come down from Nepal. This year it was the Burhi Gandak river that spilled out in parts of the district because of heavy rains in the neighbouring country. The floods were preceded by an AES outbreak that claimed 162 lives and sexual abuse of inmates at a shelter home. (Parwaz Khan / HT Photo)

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Flood-affected displaced families take shelter at a divider of National Highway (NH) 57. The floods this year affected around 4,00,000 people in 84 panchayats of nine out of the district’s 16 blocks. Thousands of people are camping in makeshifts tents along the national highways, uplands and top of embankments. (Parwaz Khan / HT Photo)

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The city’s year of disasters began after a report last April by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) blew the lid off allegations of years of sexual abuse, rape, torture and murder of girl inmates at a shelter home run by a non-government organisation in the city. Following the Muzaffarpur shelter home expose, the Bihar government led by Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) has updated the guidelines for shelter homes and hostels for girls across the state. (Parwaz Khan / HT Photo)

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Flooded Burhi Gandak river in Muzzaffarpur. The shelter home scandal had barely been forgotten when Muzaffarpur hit the headlines again with the Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) outbreak. Still considered a mystery disease, AES is a group of clinically similar neurologic manifestations caused by several viruses, bacteria, fungus, parasites, spirochetes, chemicals and toxins. The disease most commonly affects children and young adults. (Parwaz Khan / HT Photo)

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Weekly market at Litchi garden. Locals say that Muzaffarpur reels from the aftermath of floods for at least six months. “During this period, the entire village economy remains paralysed. No crops, no schools and no business activities. Left with no options, scores of families migrate in search of livelihood every year. Those who raise voices against the government’s failure in rehabilitating its own people find FIRs registered against their names,” District Congress president Bhagwan Das said. (Parwaz Khan / HT Photo)

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Nobody thinks of a permanent solution to the crisis,” alleged Muzaffarpur’s Youth Congress spokesperson Ved Prakash. The district magistrate stressed that dams can’t be constructed on flat terrains. He said that safeguarding the hamlets by building embankments is the only solution to flash floods that come with high velocity and erosive value. (Parwaz Khan / HT Photo)