‘House Collapsed, Nothing to Eat’: Eastern UP Flood Victims Seek Govt’s Help

Deoria: Kusum Devi and her four children had not eaten anything since early morning on Monday. Her kutcha house has collapsed due to floods in Uttar Pradesh's Deoria after incessant rain in the city.

"I have four children and we all have not eaten anything since morning. The LPG cylinder has not been refilled. We were provided sabzi and puri by the people from neighbouring village yesterday evening. But since then, food has not been made available to us," said Kusum, a flood-affected resident in Deoria's Kaparwar Ghat village, adding that no help has been offered so far by the district administration.

There was no drinking water arrangement in flooded Kubaich Tola, Nauka Tola of Kaparwar Ghat village, said Mamata, seeking immediate help from the district administration.

"There is no drinking water arrangement and it is difficult to stay in a tent on the road due to the intermittent rain. Immediate arrangements for shelter and food should be made for us," she said.

'No One to Help Us'

Another flood victim in Deoria's Mael village, 55-year-old Ram Nivas, told NewsClick that houses and crops of all the residents, including his, in the village have been damaged due to the floods. He said, “No one is there to help the flood-affected residents in the village.” 

"There is nothing to cook and we have no food left. My house has collapsed and crops have also been damaged. The entire village is flooded. We need immediate help. Children are not going to school and there is no one to help us," said Ram Nivas.

"There is nothing left here. Most of the houses have been destroyed and crops are damaged. It will be difficult for us to rehabilitate if no help is provided to us by the administration," another flood victim Anita said.

'All Belongings Washed Away'

Ujjawal, a VIII grade student, said he is skipping his online classes as all his belongings have been washed away in the flood. His house has collapsed too.

People living in flooded Kaparwar Ghat and Barhaj areas are using boats to move from one place to another. Flood water has entered many other houses and no relief camp has been set up in the area for the affected people.

Meanwhile, the flood water has also entered the Bhagalpur road in Deoria district and the link to at least six villages has been completely cut off.

"Even the boats cannot go there due to the strong flow of the water from both Yamuna and Betwa rivers. Most of the people living in these villages have been shifted to other areas with their belongings and cattle," said Umesh.

Kusum Devi and Ram Nivas are two of nearly two lakh people who have been affected by the floods in Uttar Pradesh’s 15 districts. Most of the victims are struggling against all odds in the absence of adequate relief and help by the government. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is yet to visit the flood victims and is “reviewing” the flood situation from his official bungalow.

Several people from districts like Bahraich, Deoria, Balrampur, Barabanki, Azamgarh and Gonda – among the worst-affected by rain – have taken shelter on highways and embankments for their safety.

According to the report received from the Relief Commissioner office on Sunday, 14 districts of the state, Barabanki, Ayodhya, Kushinagar, Gorakhpur, Bahraich, Lakhimpur Kheri, Azamgarh, Mau, Basti, Gonda, Sant Kabir Nagar, Sitapur, Siddharthnagar and Balrampur, have been flooded with 455 villages affected. Out of these, connectivity to 98 villages is completely cut off from the rest. Ninety-six shelter sites have been set up for the stay of the flood victims in the state and 653 flood posts have been set up for relief and rescue operations. Eight hundred and thirty-five boats are being used to take people to safer places. Floods have submerged crops in hundreds of hectares.

Over 60 Villages Flooded In Bahraich

Over 60 villages in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district have been inundated following the release of water by Nepal from its three barrages into rivers, a district administration official said on Sunday.

The release of water has affected over 1.50 lakh people and damaged 171 houses, he said, adding that the National Disaster Response Force personnel have been deployed in the area to rescue people.

Sunita Devi, a landless Dalit woman who used to work as a farm labourer, has settled down on the NH like a hundred others – displaced after their villages were marooned and the rising flood water posed a serious threat to them. She said her grandchildren have been without milk for days and are forced to eat chura (flattened rice) and jaggery. “We can fight hunger, but the children are crying for milk. We are not getting any help except a meal and sometimes chura, jaggery and salt from the airdrops by the helicopters of the Indian Air Force,” she added.

Meanwhile, Additional District Magistrate of Bahraich Jai Chandra Pandey said, "The condition is very bad in seven villages. As many as 131 kutcha houses have been damaged. Twenty-three flood posts have been constructed. Apart from this, one motorboat, 179 boats, one platoon of flood PAC and NDRF have also been pressed into service," Pandey said.

"Following the release of lakhs of cusec of water by Nepal, at least 61 villages in the district have been inundated. The administration is providing relief to the affected people," he said, adding that 61 villages located in Kaisarganj, Mahsi and Mihipurva tehsils with a population of over 1.50 lakh have been affected.  

Ayush Mishra, an activist based in Lucknow said that large parts of Eastern Uttar Pradesh are under flood water. Reports of the inundated areas are increasing day by day, as per official data. He said that if the trend continues till next month, the situation will be devastating in many parts of East UP.

According to the Central Water Commission report, all the major rivers, including the Ganges, Ghaghara, Rapti and Sharda, are in spate in Uttar Pradesh in the last 24 hours due to rain in many areas and are flowing above the danger mark. 

Also read: Amid Ram Temple Festivities and COVID, Some Are ‘Upset’ in Ayodhya