Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink in flood-hit villages of Punjab

The Sutlej near Giddarpindi had 88,000 cusecs of water on Wednesday which was almost close to its actual capacity. The floodwater has already entered around three dozen villages of Shahkot and Sultanpur Lodhi sub divisions of Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts, respectively, and it is compounding the miseries of the affected people because this water has no exit to any side. To add to the woes, the area is stinking to high heaven.

“We did not have any water to drink at our home. When an Army boat came to our village, they provided us drinking water bottles, much to our relief. Then our parents also decided to send us with them so that we can go our relative’s place in Ferozepur,” said Kamaljit Kaur of Mandi Cholian village in Jalandhar district who was rescued along with her three siblings, including two sisters and one brother.

After being rescued by the Army, a father offers water to his daughter in
Jalandhar, Wednesday (Express photo)

After the breach in Dhussi Bandh on Monday night, Sheelo Kaur of Mandala Chhanna village in Jalandhar said that there is no drinking water supply in their village. Water is coming for the langar (community kitchen) for the people working to repair the Dhussi Bandh, and they too are collecting drinking water from there.

In Nasirpur village of Jalandhar, MP and environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal on Wednesday himself took a boat full of drinking water bottles and supplied them to the people.

“Our small children were thirsty but today (Wednesday) we got several crates of water bottles when Seechewal came and supplied them to us,” said Simarjit Kaur, a resident of Nasirpur, which got surrounded by water from all sides due to which their village got cut off and there is no power supply as well. However, in Nasirpur most of the houses are still safe.

A boat tour by The Indian Express revealed that other villages – including Mundi Kaalu, Dhakka Basti, Jania, Chak Mandala, Mundi Sherian and Marajwala – too were sailing in the same boat.

Also, people living on rooftops were defecating in this floodwater as their toilets are already submerged in the rainwater.

“When we were living on the terrace of our house, we had no option but to defecate in this water. And that was because our toilets on the ground floor got flooded,” said Satnam Singh, who was rescued from his village (Gatta Mandi Kaso) in Jalandhar district in the same Army boat on Wednesday.

“Now, we are going to our relative’s place in Lohian and will live there till the water recedes completely,” he added.

He told The Indian Express that several people like him who opted to stay on the rooftops of their flooded houses were going through the same difficult situation.

“Ladies vaste Bahut Aukha see, inha Halantan vich rehna, te assi Iss Karke Bahar Aa Gaian ajj (It was very difficult for the women to stay in such conditions, so we came out today),” said Paramjit Kaur who also alighted from the same boat of Gatta Mandi Kaso.

“Living in such unhygienic conditions without taking bath in such humid season is an invitation to several skin and other diseases,” said Krishan Singh, who came out of his village Gatta Mandi Kaso through a rescue team along with his wife Sharanjit Kaur. Now they were waiting for their relatives to come. Krishan Singh has 5 acres of land in his village.

Meanwhile, the Army rescue team (of Sikh Regiment) has set up a medical camp where check-up of every rescued person was done on Wednesday. Also, the Army people distributed medicines to those who stayed put in their flooded villages.

While talking to The Indian Express, Seechewal said that he had taken several rounds of these villages to supply drinking water bottles and food since morning (Wednesday).

Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner Vishesh Sarangal informed that the district administration has so far rescued around 320 people safely during the rescue operations. He added that all the rescued people have been shifted to relief camps. The health department has deployed over 24 mobile teams in flood-affected villages which have conducted health examinations of 377 patients, besides distributing medicines.

Likewise, a well-equipped mobile medical unit ambulance has been permanently stationed at the relief camps in Lohian which is serving the affected villages.

MP Sushil Kumar Rinku also reached out to people with food items and potable water in the flood-affected villages along the Sutlej. He distributed food packets in the villages and also participated in rescue operations.

In Kapurthala’s 14 affected villages, 223 people were rescued from the flood-affected areas, said DC Kapurthala Capt. Karnail Singh. These people have been sent to relief camps, where they are being provided with ration, drinking water and medicines, among others, he added.

In Kapurthala’s 14 affected villages, 223 people were rescued from the flood-affected areas, said DC Kapurthala Capt. Karnail Singh. (PTI photo)

He said that the Army, Punjab Police personnel and 18 NDRF jawans have been working round the clock to evacuate the people trapped in the flood.

He further mentioned that to save the livestock, the district administration has provided dry fodder and green fodder and a team of veterinary doctors is vaccinating the animals.

Meanwhile, Chief Agriculture Officer Balbir Chand informed that 50 quintals of silage (dry fodder) and 70 quintals of green fodder were distributed amongst farmers for livestock in flood-affected areas.

The repair of the bandh is going on under the supervision of Seechewal whose men are putting in their best efforts to plug the breach.

Also, a big crack has appeared on the main Lohian Giddarpindi road which connects the Jalandhar district with the Malwa region from this side and people were seen working there on a war footing without seeking any help from anywhere.

Several onlookers were seen on the main road in Giddarpindi as they were coming along with their families and making videos to upload on the social media.

Meanwhile, one Sohan Singh, a retired teacher from Giddarpindi village, died on Wednesday and his body was cremated on the roadside because no cremation ground was available due to floodwater all around. It is learnt that he was old and was not keeping well.

Also, several people were seen looking for their family members – who had left their houses either before the floods or on Tuesday – after being rescued on Wednesday. And that was because most of these people were sent to the relief camps by the district authorities.

Those into ‘kar seva’ (voluntary labour) were seen engaged in the repair work of “Dhussi Bandh” and they had been working all day long without any rest. Religious sermons were also being played to motivate them. A 24-hour ‘langar’ is also going on.