High waters, heavy rain hamper Indian flood relief

PATNA, India, August 30 (Reuters) - Indian authorities, hampered by heavy rain and damaged roads, struggled to provide aid to millions of displaced villagers in the eastern Indian state of Bihar that has seen the worst flooding in 50 years.

The Kosi river burst a dam in neighbouring Nepal earlier this month, deluging Bihar and drowning village after village in its path as authorities failed to evacuate millions in time.

About 85 people have been killed and more than 2 million displaced by floodwaters that have smashed houses and destroyed 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres) of farmland.

"Rains are killing our rescue and relief efforts", Bihar disaster management department minister Nitish Mishra told Reuters on Saturday.

"Our helicopters almost did not fly for most part of the day yesterday since it continued raining heavily till four in the evening," Mishra said.

Villagers, many of them eating uncooked rice and flour mixed with polluted water to survive, have become increasingly desperate as the swift flowing Kosi river continued to burst embankments and move into new areas.

"I saw a villager tightly clutching a branch and a snake hanging from another branch of tree nearly half submerged in the floodwater while fleeing my village," said Rajkishore Sharma.

Floods have killed more than 1,000 people in South Asia since the monsoon began in June, mainly in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where 785 people lost their lives, while other deaths were reported from Nepal and Bangladesh.

"These are some of the worst floods in generations and they present a huge challenge for governments and humanitarian organisations," said Daniel Toole, UNICEF's regional director for South Asia on Friday.

EXTENSIVE DAMAGE

UNICEF said more than 1,000 villages in 13 districts have been affected by the surging waters that have caused extensive damage to roads and water and electricity supplies.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, head of the ruling Congress party, flew over devastated areas by helicopter on Thursday and announced $228 million in aid.

London-based humanitarian organization Oxfam said it was providing temporary shelter, water purification tablets, buckets and oral rehydration sachets to the people affected.

"It is critical that we get emergency assistance to these people in the coming days," said Jane Cocking, Oxfam's humanitarian director on Friday.

The rapid changes in course of the river has forced many harried villagers to change shelters multiple times and sell their precious livestock to buy food.

"I sold my goat for just 50 rupees which on any other day could have brought me 2,000 rupees," said Sabia Devi.

Television footage also showed a little boy crying and driving a goat away when it began to eat his food at a relief camp.

UNICEF estimates that it will be months before the displaced families can move back to their homes and expressed concerned over the hygiene conditions of the government-run relief camps.

Cases of diarrhoea were reported from many relief camps in the state. (Writing by Melanie Lee; Editing by Alistair Scrutton and Alex Richardson)