Flood swamps Assam villages forcing 500 families live on ‘railway tracks’!

Over 500 households from two villages in Assam’s flood-ravaged Jamunamukh area were forced to live on railway lines. They had little choice because the railway lines were the only high land that had not been swamped by floodwaters. Residents of Changjurai and Patia Pathar hamlet are still hurting from the reality that they lost practically everything in the Assam floods. According to NDTV, they have taken refuge behind improvised huts made of tarpaulin sheets.

The people report that they have not gotten much assistance from the state government or the district administration in the previous five days. Assam’s position remains grave. The incessant deluge has affected over 8 lakh people in 2,585 villages across 29 districts. So far, 14 people have perished as a result of landslides caused by heavy rainfall.

Monwara Begum (43) of Paitha Pathar village is now residing in a makeshift shack. Four other families have joined her in surviving the flood, and they are all living in horrible conditions beneath the same roof, with practically little food. ‘ We were beneath the open sky for three days,’ Monwara Begum explained. ‘We then obtained some money on credit and bought this tarpaulin sheet. We are five families living under one roof. There is no private space.’

Beauty Bordoloi, another flood victim, is living with her family under a tarpaulin sheet. Her home in Changjurai village was destroyed by the floodwaters. ‘ Our harvest-ready crop was destroyed,’ she adds, adding, ‘the situation is unknown and tough. It’s incredibly tough to live like way.’  Sunanda Doloi, a family member of Bordoloi, stated, ‘There is no supply of safe drinking water. We’ve only eaten one meal a day for the past four days, and it’s been just flattened rice.’

Nasibur Rehman, another flood victim, stated, ‘After 4 days, we finally got relief from the government yesterday.  That is also not for everyone. They provided us with rice, dal, and oil. However, some people have not even got that’. According to reports, the Army, paramilitary troops, and national and state disaster relief agencies used boats and helicopters to rescue 21,884 individuals from flood-affected districts. According to NDTV, 343 relief camps have taken in 86,772 individuals, and 411 aid distribution centers are also open.