Receding Sutlej leaves behind trail of destruction in Ferozepur

Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, August 27

Hundreds of dwelling units in over 40 villages along the Sutlej in this border district have either developed cracks or in some cases, the houses have been totally damaged due to onslaught by the river, leaving the border folks in the lurch.

At certain locations, the entire foundation has caved in or roofs have fallen down much to the distress of these people most of whom are either marginal farmers or daily wagers.

Ramesh Kumar, a resident of Nai Gatti Rajo ke, said that his house is situated close to a ‘kutcha bandh’ in the village. “When the water level increased, we left the house and moved to a safer place. When we came back yesterday after the water level receded, we found that several cracks had appeared on the walls,” said Ramesh.

It is not an isolated case here. The picture is equally appalling in most of the villages situated close to the Sutlej. Pyara Singh, a resident of Tindiwala, said that two rooms of his house have been completely damaged due to the floods. “Even the belongings which had been kept in the house have been destroyed,” he said.

Mohinder Kaur (80), another resident of Tindiwala, said that her husband had passed away a few years ago. “After the death of my husband, I had rebuilt my house with the help of my sons. Now the entire house is crumbling after being ravaged by flood,” said Mohinder.

Similar is the situation in other flood-affected villages, including Gatti Rajo ke, Chandiwala, Muthianawala and Nihale Kilche. As per information, more than 200 houses in these villages have been damaged.

Though the water level has come down during the past two days, it would take weeks for the accumulated water to seep into the ground. This could trigger skin diseases and other ailments, said Ashok Behal, Secretary, Red Cross. He said they would organise medical camps in various villages to prevent the spread of diseases.

Rajesh Dhiman, DC, said that already an amount of Rs 22 crore has been received by the district administration to provide compensation to the affected people. It has been sent to the SDMs for further disbursement with the help of revenue officials.

The DC said that the amount would be transferred directly into bank accounts of the beneficiaries, adding that once the water recedes, the exact assessment of the damage would be made. Meanwhile, we have restored connectivity in most of the areas, he said.

Earlier, State Information Commissioner Anumeet Sodhi along with local youths worked continuously for almost 14 hours to repair the damaged bridge near Gatti Hazara which was the only link to over 22 villages in the area.

Meanwhile, Kaluwala village, which has been submerged in floodwater for the past 50 days, has virtually become an abandoned island as most of the residents have shifted to other places.