Bengali Report - Bengalee Association Bihar

As regards type of roof material, about half the Bengali households (46.1 percent)
live in houses with thatched roofs, a cemented roof being available for only 15.2
percent of the households (Table 14). In contrast, as per the 2001 census data, for
the general population of Bihar, the proportion of households living in houses with
thatched roof is only one-third (32.2 percent), and those with cemented roofs
account for no less than 38.1 percent of the households. This clearly indicates that
the economic condition of the Bengali population is inferior to that a general
population of Bihar. Among the Bengali households, the housing pattern varies
considerably among the 5 districts. The pattern in Bhagalpur is different because it
represents an urban area and, as such, housing conditions are better there. For the
remaining 4 districts, the housing conditions are much worse in the districts of West
Champaran and East Champaran, compared to that in Purnea and Katihar. In terms
of material for the floor, the proportion of Bengali households living in houses with
Katcha floor is 81.5 percent, nearly the same for the general population in Bihar
(81.5 percent).
Table 14 : Percentage Distribution of Bengali Households by Type of Roof and Floor of
Their Dwellings
Districts
Percentage of Households Having Roof
Thatched
Tiles/
Iron
Sheets
23
Percentage of Households
Having Floor
Cemented Total Katcha Pucca Total
Purnea 31.6 55.3 13.1 100.0 71.8 28.2 100.0
Katihar 24.4 46.6 29.0 100.0 54.9 45.1 100.0
West Champaran 58.7 31.9 9.4 100.0 93.6 6.4 100.0
East Champaran 53.8 35.7 10.5 100.0 94.0 6.0 100.0
Bhagalpur 2.2 14.2 83.7 100.0 11.4 88.6 100.0
All Districts 46.1 38.7 15.2 100.0 81.5 18.5 100.0
Bihar 32.2 29.7 38.1 100.0 80.5 19.5 100.0