Sitting by the bundh, they see their houses getting flooded : The Tribune India

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Sitting by the bundh, they see their houses getting flooded

JALANDHAR: Watching their houses getting flooded with Sutlej waters from a distance, several families of Janian Chahal, Chak Wadala and other nearby villages have chosen not to move to relief camps and instead use the edges of Dhussi Bundh as their makeshift shelter for the past two days.



Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 21

Watching their houses getting flooded with Sutlej waters from a distance, several families of Janian Chahal, Chak Wadala and other nearby villages have chosen not to move to relief camps and instead use the edges of Dhussi Bundh as their makeshift shelter for the past two days.

Since the bundh is about seven to eight feet higher than the waters flowing around, they are finding the place safer and have pegged tents using bed sheets and bamboos to camp there. Sitting on charpoys, the elderly have been keeping a vigil on their homes while the women are engaged in making food, bringing along the burners and gas cylinders. They have even erected ropes around to dry the clothes and belongings that have got wet.

Inder Kaur, a widow of Janian Chahal village, said: “The biggest problem that we are facing currently is of toilets. We have to walk down miles along the bundh to find a dry place or a house where we can relieve ourselves. Since our kids were unable to bear this problem, we sent them to our relative’s place.”

Paramjit Singh of Mandian Kular village said: “I have come here alongwith my father Buta Singh but our ladies have chosen to stay back. We had a little time to decide on how to make the arrangements as our village got inundated very fast due to the breach. We quickly packed some items and threw them on the rooftop. Our priority was to bring cattle to a safer place, for they cannot be moved up or left just like that. Many villagers could not even untie their cattles and their animals have drowned.” A farm labourer Ashok Paswan was inconsolable as he said, “I had a one-room kutcha house, which too has fallen. Even when the flood waters would recede, I will have no shelter for myself. Being hand to mouth, I have no money with me to rebuild it”.

Two days prior to the breach at Janian Chahal village, youths from the area had already begun strengthening the Dhussi Bundh. Pointing to the dusty surface of the bundh, Sewa Singh, Chhinda and Billa, youths from adjoining Gattu Peer Baksh village, said: “We brought in sand and mud in our trolleys from all over, including river beds, school grounds and fields, and were piling it up all across the bundh when the breach happened and all our efforts went waste.”

Sukhwinder, Mehar Singh and Jasjit, youths from the villages, who were engaged in the loading and unloading of sand bags near the breach area on Wednesday, said: “Had the Drainage staff done a proper work and spent grants well, we would not have had to see this day today. Even 31 years since we faced floods in 1988 and despite the availability of JCBs and all high tech machinery, we do not have proper technology to make strong bundhs still.”

Amrik Singh, another youth, said: “If there was so much water flowing into the dam area, the BBMB should have started with releasing water slowly and that too much earlier, rather than giving an outlet to 2.5 lakh cusecs at a single go.”

Villagers thankful

As the boats of the Army, the NDRF and some local social groups went to provide the marooned villagers with water and food, they thanked them profusely with folded hands and waved back at them. As these boats moved around, the villagers kept on calling them out asking for relief material.

A baraat amid calamity

Even as his entire village was covered with floods, it did not deter a groom Kashmir Singh of Kutbewal village of Shahkot to take out his baraat. Amidst a major calamity hitting his village, he set out on Wednesday morning to marry a bride from Amritsar. All adorned, his family members had to come out on the main Lohian highway to play band and drum, apply kajal, make him wear sehra and garlands and perform other wedding rituals. The groom said since his house was currently deluged, he thought of staying with a relative for some days before bringing home his bride.

Army airdrops 11 tonnes of food in 21 villages 

Jalandhar: Army teams from Vajra Corps of Western Command are carrying out flood relief and rescue operations as an aid to civil authorities in the villages near Jalandhar. The Army teams have been working in flood-hit areas of Phillaur, Nakodar, Shahkot, Sultanpur Lodhi and Nawanshar adjoining the Sutlej. Sixteen teams of Army along with aviation resources have been employed in the ongoing flood relief operations which are being carried out round-the-clock to ensure safe evacuation of the affected populace. So far about 115 persons have been rescued to relief camps by the jawans. The Army teams are also engaged in plugging the breaches along the Sutlej to prevent the water entering in the affected villages. Approximately, 11 tonnes of food material has been dropped by Army helicopters in 21 marooned villages.

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