PATNA: Facing flak over Patna being marooned after three consecutive days of heavy rain, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has questioned why nobody bats an eyelid when Mumbai is flooded or even a country like the US is brought to its knees by a hurricane.

“I would like to ask what do they (the media) think about heavy flooding in Mumbai. I want to ask how many areas of the country have witnessed waterlogging. Don’t people know what happens in the US? This is not just about waterlogging in a few colonies in Patna,” Nitish said on Tuesday, snapping at reporters wanting to know the reasons behind the most devastating

since the 1975 deluge.

Nitish said media should help raise awareness on disaster mitigation rather than criticise the administration. “You people have failed to even contribute towards raising awareness,” he said.

He went on to explain how Bihar’s northern districts experienced flash floods in July, followed by a dry spell that almost led to a drought-like situation. He claimed that the state being ravaged by heavy rain last week was another instance of unpredictable weather.

The IMD has predicted “isolated” heavy rainfall in some Bihar districts, UP, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Meghalaya over the next couple of days. Skymet has also forecast “extended monsoon rains” in parts of Bihar between Thursday and Saturday.