From correspondents in Delhi, India, 07:00 PM IST

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee Friday appealed to MPs to contribute monetarily towards the relief and rehabilitation of Bihar's flood victims.

All MPs have been urged to donate money upwards of Rs 1 million from their Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) funds.

In addition, Chatterjee has also appealed to them to donate at least a month's salary which will go a long way in building temporary shelters once the Kosi waters recede.

On his part, Chatterjee has already contributed a month's salary and also from his MPLADS scheme.

The floods have claimed 22 lives officially and nearly 100 lives according to non-official estimates. Over 2.5 million people and 925,000 head of cattle have been affected.

Many Bihar districts were flooded by the swirling waters of the Kosi river following a breach in an embankment upstream in Nepal.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)