Flood leaves Hassanpora Bagh devastated

KULGAM — Nabiza Bano, 40, a widow, lost her shelter, her belongings and even her livelihood to the ferocious waters of Vaishaw Nallah in the recent floods. However, the books and certificates of her children were the only assets she could salvage.

After the death of her husband, Ghulam Muhammad Malla, a farmer, three years back, Nabiza took the burden of the family, consisting of her son Suhail Ahmad, a Class 12th student, two daughters and a younger son.

“The floods snatched our shelter and also our livelihood,” says Nabiza. She said that even all her belongings as well as paddy spread on 10 Kanals were washed away by the raging waters of Vaishaw. “My husband wanted his children to get the best possible education and after his death, I ensured that their studies don’t suffer. But after this tragedy stuck us, I am not sure whether I can live up to the same,” a dejected Nabiza said.

Recalling the day when flood submerged this southern Kashmir village, Nabiza said, “When the water from Vaishaw river started rising, we along with other villagers took shelter in the local masjid. I could not save any of the belongings except the books and certificates of my children.”

“This is the only property I possessed and so I thought of saving it first,” said Nabiza. Suhail, her son, says that his education has suffered and he can’t concentrate on his studies after the tragedy.

Like Nabiza, many others in the village have their own tragic stories to narrate. The devastating floods that hit this village reduced to rubble around 30 houses and 26 cowsheds while damaging many more severely or partially. The floods also washed away hundreds of Kanals of paddy land, the only source of livelihood of the villagers.

Muhamad Ramzan Alai along with his family has been putting up in a temporary tarpaulin shelter erected in the compound of his collapsed house. Surrounded by three kids, in their primaries, Alai’s wife Yasmeen is desperately looking for the leftover belongings from the debris of her house. However, the only thing she has been able to salvage is some utensils and few odd quilts and mattresses.

“The floods washed away everything; our house, belongings and paddy spread on 8 Kanals of land. In the absence of any help from the government, our hopes also stand washed away,” said Alai.

His views are echoed by his neighbour, Muhammad Yousuf Mir, who like Alai lost his home and his livelihood to the raging floods of Vaishaw river. “I was toiling hard to feed my family consisting of my wife and seven children including my two daughters. But now, I am shattered,” says Mir.

The villagers said that the administration was absent during rescue and even now aren’t visible in relief and sanitation. “Whatever help came was from local volunteer groups and people from Arwani village who despite being submerged in flood themselves organized community kitchens for us,” said Ghulam Nabi Mir, who lost his house and belongings to the floods.

Mir said the administration has failed to provide potable water to the village, forcing them to consume contaminated water and fear of an outbreak looms large. “They have not even gone for fumigation or phenyl spray and the area stinks,” he said.