Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink. The famous line written by ST Coleridge in his poem ‘Ancient Mariner’ holds true for the flood victims of Bihar, who don’t know how to quench their thirst in marooned areas. The smarter ones are, however, in ‘high spirits’ as they have opted for the second best option: country-made liquor.

While finalising the menu for the flood-hit, water was kept out of the relief packets. “From our past experience, we realised that in most of the cases, water pouches burst after being airdropped, thereby spoiling the eatables inside the packet,” said   coordinator of flood relief work  RK Singh.

The Bihar Government,  is airdropping 5-kg food packets, each containing two and a half kg chura (flattened rice), two kg sattu, half kg iodised salt, a candle and a match box. But the absence of potable water has left the flood-hit people high and dry.

As most of the handpumps have submerged in the flood water (the remaining handpumps are out of order due to excessive use), people in remote areas of Darbhanga, Samastipur and Madhubani, have turned to country-made liquor) The liquor shops located there are doing brisk business. “If you consume liquor with boiled flood water, it will serve as an antibiotic. You will be free from all kinds of infections,” argued a villager Suraj Mahto, who hires boat to collect country liquor from a nearby shop.

Even the boatman Dularchand agrees with him: “Ghum bhulane ke liye daru hee ek sahara hai. (Liquor is the only way out to overcome the sorrow of flood).”

For others like Krishna Sahani, who has made the flanks of National Highway (NH)-57 his second home ever since the swirling flood water uprooted his house last month, it’s no point in ruing the fate. He literally loves ‘fishing in troubled waters’. “Throughout the day, we net as much fish as possible and eventually have fish fry (along with liquor) as dinner,” said Sahani.