ABSTRACT
Bihar's name is derived from the ancient word Vihara. This chapter explores the gender-segregated and mixed interactions with rural women and men, from different caste groups, in three flood-prone locations of North Bihar in order to understand their perceptions of disasters. The transformation of a way of life to an assured devastation because of the structural flood management approach has made the once self-sufficient communities highly dependent on external help for survival, and desperate for systems of support, as floods are an annual occurrence in the region. Floods and Bihar are synonymous; every year, the state faces the vagaries of floods and waterlogging. A sustained voluntary field action research initiative by a team of grass roots organisations including Gramyasheel, Kosi Seva Sadan, Samta and Ghoghardiha Prakhand Swarajya Vikas Sangh led by the author resulted in the formation of an informal network-cum-campaign called Megh Pyne Abhiyan (MPA) in December 2005. The economy of the state of Bihar is very dependent on agriculture.
