Livestock keep people back in flooded homes

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 24

As Gurpartap Singh got down through an SDRF boat at his home in Chak Wadala village in a scorching afternoon, to get his mother home, two helpless cows tied in the courtyard gazed eagerly, mooing ceaselessly.

Boats of the SDRF, the NDRF, the Army and various NGOs are rescuing people on a priority basis from villages, where there are innumerable homes having livestock tied to anchors, some thirsty and hungry for days.

Over 24,000 cattle have been stranded in Jalandhar and Kapurthala, out of which 50 (30 in Jalandhar and 19 in Kapurthala) have died in both districts (according to record of district administrations), causing loss of over Rs24 lakh.

While the floods have charted a story of pain and losses, they have also reiterated the strong bond that farmers share with their animals. Rescue teams have innumerable stories of people staying back home or making difficult journeys back to their villages only to rescue or take care of their animals. Across the over 70 villages of Jalandhar and Kapurthala, an estimated over 24,000 cattle were stranded in the floods.

The love for their cattle and the fear their animals might be stolen has been one of the primary reason for a majority of the villagers staying back at their homes and spending nights on rooftops rather than moving to safety of a relief camp or dry banks. Fooder is the prime need of residents of submerged villages after tarpaulins and water. After an outcry by villagers, special veterinary doctors/officials were also provided to the 38 relief boats plying across villages in Jalandhar and Kapurthala.

Before Harjinder Singh, a farmer in Chak Wadala, covered his rooftop with tarpaulins, he provided a net for his cattle. Pritam Singh from the same village also stayed back home to look after his cattle.

Kuldip Singh, a farmer of the Janian village in Lohian, said: “Farmers share a close bond with their cattle. None of us can leave home while the animals are stranded. There is also the additional fear of animals getting stolen. Cattle have been stranded in water for many days and weren’t even fed. At many villages, cattle left in the water for too long are suffering from health problems. We expect the government to adequately compensate us for this, too.”

Tarsem Singh, a Kapurthala-based farmer said: “On an average, a village with even 100 homes has 200 or more cattle. While there have not been substantial deaths of livestock reported yet, cattle and pets have remained drowned for days. In many villages, they have been stranded without food. On humanitarian grounds, fodder for cattle should also be made available on a priority basis. ”

Kapurthala DC said: “We have lost 19 cows in Kapurthala, however, total loss to livestock will be assessed only after the water recedes. Vets are part of the 20 relief boats in the district to address ailments and issues of cattle.”

Cattle toll

• 24,000 cattle stranded in flooded villages 
• 50 cattle dead in Jalandhar and Kapurthala 
• 38 vets in relief boats to address cattle issues