Leh flash-flood victims moving into partially built homes

“Most of us have at least one pre-fab room built with the help of Hindustan Pre-fab Limited. We have got the other two rooms constructed in Ladakhi style (with mud and bricks without slope on the roof),” she said.

According to official data,in all 675 families in the entire Ladakh region have lost their homes completely in the torrent of mud and water that invaded 34 villages badly over three months back on August 6 this year.

About 600-odd houses were partially damaged in the tragedy in the Himalayan Ladakh region.

Meanwhile,the Deputy Commissioner of Leh,Tsering Angchok told visiting reporters here that as of now 457 families have rebuilt permanent shelters with assistance from the government and have started moving in.

The maximum of 170 houses have been built in the upcoming Solar Colony where the flash flood victims from the most devastated area,Choglamsar,are being rehabilitated,he said.

The rest of the houses have been reconstructed in villages like Pheyang,Igoo and Taro,he said.

Tanzing Dolma,who lost one of her daughters to floods,and is the first victim to move into her new home in Solar Colony,said life was tough in these wintry days.

“Life in the tent is getting difficult in winter for a separated-single women. So I took initiative to construct at least a two-room set with a toilet”,the 37 year old Dolma said.

She has been given a free plot to reconstruct a house from the state government besides Rs two lakh assistance from the Prime Minister National Relief Fund (PMNRF).

“I have spent extra money from my pocket to construct a toilet as it would be unsafe for any single woman to walk till the community toilets in the night,¿ she said

Dolma is one among the 170 homeless victims in the Solar Colony who relocated to new homes on November 19,the auspicious day for Buddhist house warming ceremony.

The local administration has distributed the Rs two lakh relief to each affected family under PMRF in phases to rebuild new houses.

Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council head Rigzin Spalbar said efforts were on to expedite the relief work.

“We are working on a war footing to help them. There are still 210 homeless families who have not yet started the reconstruction of their homes due to lack of labour and cool temperature”,he said.