Hindu Festival: Dozens Of Children Drown In India 

Tragedy struck in the Indian eastern state of Bihar with at least 46 people, most of them children, reportedly drowned while bathing in rivers swollen by recent floods in observance of Jivitputrika Vrat, a Hindu religious festival celebrated by millions across the South Asian nation.

Emergency and Disaster Management officials confirmed on Thursday that among those reported dead are 37 children and seven women who drowned while ritually bathing in rivers in scattered incidents across 15 districts in the State of Bihar

The Officials lamented that many people continue to ignore dangerous water levels in rivers while bathing to mark the three-day Jivitputrika Vrat festival.

According to reports, the devotees were celebrating the annual festival during which women fast for 24 hours and offer prayers for the wellbeing of their children. They also travel to rivers and ponds in their neighbourhood to bathe, sometimes accompanied by their children.

Amid the unfortunate incident, the Bihar State Government has announced compensation of 400,000 rupees (US$4,784) for the families of each of the deceased.

Meanwhile, there are fears that the overall death toll could rise further, but sympathy messages and assurances have come from the State authorities that families and relatives of the victims will receive compensation.

Deadly incidents are common at places of worship during major religious festivals in India, when huge crowds gathered in tight spaces with little adherence to safety measures. Millions of devotees are prompted to make pilgrimages to holy sites during the biggest of these festivals.

Last year, local media reported 22 people drowned during a 24-hour period in Bihar, most of them were also celebrating the same festival.

Sadly too, about 116 people were crushed to death in July at an overcrowded Hindu religious gathering in Uttar Pradesh state, the worst such tragedy in more than a decade.

India is hit by torrential rains and flash floods each year during the June-September monsoon season. The monsoon is vital for agriculture, and therefore for the livelihoods of millions of farmers.

Also, the monsoon is responsible for widespread destruction each year in the form of landslides and floods that have been killing hundreds of people across South Asia.

In July this year, more than 200 people were killed in the southern Indian State of Kerala when torrential monsoon downpours caused landslides that buried tea plantations under tonnes of rock and soil.

In 2018, nearly 60 people were killed after a train rammed into a crowd watching celebrations for Dusshera, a Hindu festival.

India’s monsoon rains started retreating from the north-west of the country earlier this week, nearly a week later than normal, the state-run India Meteorological Department said.

This is as experts explained that climate change is increasing the number of extreme weather events around the world, with damming, deforestation and development projects in India exacerbating the human toll. – With Agency reports