‘How will I recover from the loss of lakhs’: Hundreds stranded as Hindon river swells

Hailing from UP’s Badaun, Somwati works as a vegetable farmer on rented land near the village — among the worst flood-hit areas.

Residents wade through flood water in Karhera village, Ghaziabad, Sunday. Gajendra Yadav

“I have five bighas for which I pay Rs 4,000 per bigha as rent for a year… I’ve been working here for nine years. I sowed many vegetables like onion, gourd, spinach… the crop was almost ready, but the flood ruined everything. The landlord did not provide any relief during the pandemic, it is unlikely he will do so this time. I don’t even have crop insurance… How will I recover from the loss of lakhs of rupees?” lamented Somwati.

Bhagwan Dei, another vegetable farmer who has taken 10 bighas on rent, said she was hoping a good crop would help her get her daughter married. “The entire cost of production — seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, irrigation, labour — is around Rs 40,000 per bigha, including family labour. There is no such thing as profit in our life. We could have managed to earn money to sow the next season’s crop, meet household expenses and pay for the children’s education… but it’s all turned to dust,” said the 40-year-old, also from Badaun.

She said if the administration would have informed them earlier, they would have saved some of their valuables. “Around 100 shanties in the area are now submerged in water. We could not even take our vegetable cart,” said Dei, sitting in the school room with over 25 people.

Also at the school, with his wife and two children, was Nawal Singh (45). He had to leave his two-storey building in Gaushala Colony at Karhera village after the water entered his house. “I am afraid of thefts… I had built the house with my hard-earned money. There is no hope of going back soon. The water is still increasing — it has now come up to the neck near my house.”

“One of my sons is in Class XI and the other is pursuing B.Com. His exam is going on… how can he study in this situation? All we get here is food twice a day… I am also worried that the flood may affect the foundation of the house. At this age, I do not have the courage to build a new house,” said the man, who works for a private boutique in Noida.

Vinay Kumar Singh, SDM (Sadar), said around 4,000 people are staying in relief camps: “The Hindon’s water level has not crossed the danger mark of 205.80 metres yet… It has been dipping. As of now, four villages have been affected. Relief work is on and all necessary arrangements have been made by the district administration.”

Binod Kumar Singh, executive engineer, UP irrigation department, said the water level at Hindon barrage in Ghaziabad crossed 201 metres on Sunday. “The water level was 201.05 metres. Around 25,480 cusecs is being discharged downstream of the barrage. In usual times, the discharge downstream is around 5,000-10,000 cusecs.”

He further said the highest discharge from Ghaziabad-Hindon barrage was recorded in 1978: “At that time, 1.30 lakh cusecs of water was discharged downstream. The barrage has good capacity. This time, it has rained heavily in Saharanpur from where the river originates. This is why the water level is increasing and is expected to increase further.”

Meanwhile, ACP (Sahibabad) Bhasker Verma said a police team has rescued around 7,000 people from flood-affected areas. “Rescue work has been on since Friday. Over these three days, we have evacuated about 7,000-8,000 people from flood areas with the help of NDRF, SDRF and locals… The water level is rising rapidly. Since 4 in the evening, the water level in residential areas went up by 4 inches,” said Verma.