The residents of Leh will not forget the night of August 6, 2010 for a long time. The flash floods that occurred due to the freak cloudburst not only swept away people but also buildings, animals and vehicles into the Indus river. Villages that lay to the north-west and south-east of the city were badly affected. Important institutions like the District Hospital, BSNL office, bus stand, secondary school and market areas were severely damaged. The mud swept into the hospital building and completely devastated the operation theatre, labour room, Cr-scan machine, X-ray machine, laboratory and various medical and surgical wards. Army and community volunteers are still struggling to clean the hospital after which it will have to be sanitised to become operational once again.
In rural areas, the flash floods damaged crops, apart from destroying houses and infrastructure. Communities are struggling hard to repair head-pumps and create alternate water canals to save crops that escaped the floods with a hope to ensure food supplies during the critical winter months. The Bedas, a socially neglected and marginalised community of this region, are one of the worst-affected. The heavy slush and mud that flooded their houses has rendered them homeless.
Currently living in tents, they survive on the meagre food supplies received as relief but lack of proper clothing and shelter has left them at nature's mercy. Those who survived are slowly coming to terms with life. Deachin Yanglol, a 16-year-old student at Choglamsar, a village 13 km away from Leh, is one of the lucky ones. She wants to continue her schooling but does not know how her divorced mother, who works as a labourer, will be able to support her and her one-and-a-half-year-old brother. There are many others like Yanglol who need help.
Out of those labourers who came to Leh from Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Jammu in search of livelihood, a few lost their lives and many are missing. Those who survived are still in a state of shock. In Phyang village, as many as 200 such members faced nature's fury as their houses in a dry canal were suddenly washed away. The water carried them along with rocks and slush into the Indus river.
Forty two of these 60 people are yet to be traced. The survivors are being treated in the Army Hospital. Suresh, a labotuer hailing from Jadhavar village in Gopalgunj, Bihar, is inconsolable. He lost three friends, Santosh Ram, Munna Kumar and Mantoo Kumar, all brothers in the floods. Their father Bhulan Ram doesn't know how he will fend for his family after losing three earning members.
The climate is harsh and the logistical challenges are intimidating. Communities who were affected by the flash floods are still being discovered. But still all is not lost. In the midst of all these problems, the human spirit stands tall with the army pitching in to provide support to seek and rescue survivors. Besides the army, the district administration, NGOs, community groups and foreign tourists are also lending a helping hand.
In 1999, the Kargil War in the very same region gave birth to CARE TODAY and since its inception, it has supported disaster-affected communities. CARE TODAY appeals onee again for monetary support for those affected by the flash floods. The Executive Director of CARE TODAY has just returned from affected locations after identifying some potential options. The India Today Group has made the first contribution with Living Media India Ltd. and the TV Today Network contributing Rs 5 lakh each to the fund. CARE TODAY will ensure that its work benefits the worst-affected communities and report back through the pages of INDIA TODAY on the progress it has made.
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CONTRIBUTE NOW
Please draw cheques or demand drafts in favour of
'CARE TODAY A/c
The Leh Flash Floods Relief Fund'
and send to:
Care Today,
9th Floor,
Videocon Towers,
E-1, Jhandewalan Extension,
New Delhi-110 055
You can also pay via bank transfer.
Click for details
All contributions are eligible for tax exemption under Section 80(G) of the
Income Tax Act. We do not accept cash or money orders..
For further queries,
please contact
C. Balaji Singh at
+91 11 23314216 or
+91 11 23355007
or email
balaji.singh@intoday.com
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All contributions of
Rs 5,000 and above will be acknowledged in INDIA TODAY,
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