30 families at mercy of elements as Ghaggar floods shanties in Panchkula

Rendered homeless after a swollen Ghaggar inundated their shanties, 30-odd families residing near the dumping ground in Sector 23 here now face an uncertain future. Forced to evacuate their homes in haste, they are now living under tarpaulin sheets in a park across the road .

Among them is Ram Dulari, an elderly woman who lost her home of nearly three decades in the deluge. While trying to salvage household items from her kutcha house, she slipped into the waterlogged lanes and sustained a fracture.

With an orthopaedic cast on her left arm, she faces the arduous task of tending to her husband who is suffering from paralysis. “There was no warning. Within hours, the water rose and everything was flooded. Years’ worth of work was washed away in no time,” she said, seated by the roadside with her grandchildren.

With no walls to protect them, at least one member of the family is required to stand guard for their possessions at all times. “Talk about misery, it came for us in all forms. We even had to spend what little we had saved over time on the medical bills while being homeless,” she added. Like Dulari, dozens of others face similar struggles — balancing the safety of their children, protecting their possessions and enduring nights without a roof over their heads as rains continue to threaten both health and survival.

Other families said they were counting down days in the hope of returning to their settlement once water level comes down. While the water has begun to recede, they lie in wait for the weather to improve.