India, Sept. 19 -- Nearly 50 lakh people have been affected by Bihar's latest floods, but the official count captures only the scale of inundation, not the cost of recovery. For thousands of families, the real crisis begins after the waters recede - when damaged homes, lost livelihoods, debt and depleted assets remain

Bihar is in the grip of another flood season, and the images are painfully familiar: swollen rivers, submerged villages, cut-off roads and families ferried to safety. But behind the visuals lies a number that tells its own story. According to the state's Disaster Management Department, as of September 14, close to 49.71 lakh people - roughly 9.94 lakh households - across 15 districts, 87 blocks and 575 gram panchayats had b...