Day at a tent: Rain, a surprise visitor, joining a queue for food

Inside one tent, an elderly woman pointed to a corner where a small polythene bag sat. “This is all that is left,” said Kamlawati.

On Friday morning, Kamlawati’s routine – queuing up for food, fetching water, drying clothes after another spell of rain – was broken by a visitor. Arvind Kejriwal, the former Delhi Chief Minister, who has been rarely seen in public since his party’s loss in the Assembly polls earlier this year, visited the tents accompanied by a small group of AAP leaders.

“He asked me how many people are living in my tent,” said Fatima, another resident. “I told him that my family of five… Then he asked about my things. I pointed to a polythene bag. He looked at me with surprise because I could salvage so little.”

Pushpa, another resident, said she told Kejriwal that they are served rice, dal and khichdi every day. “Sometimes we also get tea in the morning,” she added.

Kamlawati said Kejriwal’s visit was rushed. “He asked a few questions and left… He was asking why we didn’t vote… We told him that our names were deleted (from the electoral roll),” she added.

The visit stirred memories of the last big flood in 2023, when the Yamuna had risen to record levels. Many in the camp recalled the relief arrangements made then under the AAP government – pavilion-style tents with raised platforms, mattresses, mosquito nets, and fans.

“No matter what people say about Kejriwal, in 2023 we were looked after,” said Jayati, who has lived along the Yamuna for nearly two decades. “The tents were bigger, water didn’t seep in when it rained. We had toothpaste, shampoo, toothbrush, tables, fans and mosquito nets. This time, the tents start dripping when it rains.”

The words found echo in AAP’s political messaging. “People are remembering the days of Arvind Kejriwal’s government,” said Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj. “Despite the so-called four engine BJP government, tents were set up only after our MLA posted a video. Food and water are still scarce.”

Kejriwal, too, accused the BJP government of failing to carry out desilting of drains and blamed it for the widespread waterlogging in the Capital. “Natural disasters cannot be prevented, but ensuring food, water and shelter is the government’s duty,” he said.

However, for the residents of these tents, the greatest worry now is what will be left when they return home.

Most of those huddled outside Shastri Park trace their roots to Sitapur district in Uttar Pradesh. They came to Delhi nearly two decades ago, settling on the riverbank where land was available and close to work. For years, they cultivated vegetables – spinach, okra, gourds – on the Yamuna floodplain, selling them in neighbourhood markets.

This ended when farming along the river was banned, citing health risks from pollutants in the soil and produce. Many shifted to small rented patches of land on the Khajuri Khas side, while others turned to daily wage work. Their jhuggis remained on the riverside.

With the Yamuna still flowing above the evacuation mark, they now wait to return home and start rebuilding from scratch. “If the water did not reach the roof, our jhuggis might still be standing,” said Laali, who has lived through the floods of 2013, 2023 and now 2025.)