Debt trap looms as homes, livestock swept away by floods in Gurdaspur

Villagers who have returned to their homes are shocked to see that while the floodwaters have receded, their houses are so badly damaged that they will again have to take money from the ‘Arhtiyas’ (money lenders) at an exorbitant rate of interest to renovate them.

“Now, this is a frightening feeling. We are already under debt. What will happen to us if we take more loans,” asked Lakhwinder Singh of Lassian village.

Some relief and rehabilitation efforts are underway but villagers face severe challenges, including extensive damage to their houses, health risks and inadequate aid

“My house will never be the same again. When I returned with my family yesterday evening after spending some days in Gurdaspur city with my relatives, I could not believe what I saw. It was not the house we had left. A dozen of my cattle had died. The fodder had been destroyed. The belongings and expensive items which we had collected after years of hard work and struggle have been damaged badly. All I can see is a stench, slush and a shattered house. Yesterday, I asked my money lender for cash. He quoted an astronomical 24 per cent annual rate of interest. Take it or leave it, he told me rudely,” said Akashvir Singh, a resident of Gurchakk village falling in Dera Baba Nanak sub-division.

This is the same area which was visited by Rahul Gandhi on Monday. “He came but gave nothing. A few photographers accompanied him,” he added.

Satbir Sultani, a Kirti Kisan Union leader, who is in the forefront of providing ration kits to his fellow farmers, says it will take months, or even more, to deal with the destruction. “This is not withstanding the extensive damage done to farmers’ crops and lingering waterlogging. As per norms, desilting takes place in dams from May till July. However, this time, for reasons best known to the officials, desilting was not done. This is the reason why all the three dams — Bhakra, Ranjit Sagar and Pong — got filled quickly, forcing officials to release the excess water into the rivers. The embankments gave way as a result of which water flowed into our houses and fields,” he said.

He added that out of these three dams, two — Ranjit Sagar and Pong Dam — belong to Punjab.

“Punjab officials are responsible for this mess. There should be an inquiry as to why these two dams were not desilted on time,” said Sultani.

Officials admit that almost all homes located along the Ravi river have either been partially or completely damaged, leading to animal carcasses littered everywhere and creating unsanitary conditions. This has led to a heightened risk of waterborne and vector-borne diseases like cholera and dengue. “In the 1988 floods, snakebites were not that common as they are this time,” said Amrik Singh, Sarpanch of Bharial village, one of the worst affected hamlets.

He added that he had held a meeting of all village Sarpanches of the area. All of them claimed that any future plans they make of desilting their agricultural fields or rebuilding of the damaged houses can be implemented only with the help of the district administration.

“However, I tried meeting officials in the DC office but on all occasions, I was told they are out in the flood-hit areas. The facts speak otherwise. The rarely visit the flood-ravaged areas. Even if half of them do their duty, almost all damaged houses of our villagers could have been repaired by now,” said

Amrik Singh.

He added that the administration should hire tractor-trolleys from districts not touched by the floods. “The only way to desilt our fields is through tractor-trolleys or JCBs. The Gurdaspur administration should make an appeal to farmers of these districts to come with their tractors and extend a helping hand. Otherwise, it is impossible for us to sow the wheat crop in November,” he added.