By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Bihar: Jamsheed Ahmed, 40, from Amdaar village of Bhagalpur district leaves early morning in search of food for his family but every night he comes back with little he could collect from relief camps. Before floods in his village, he used work as laborer in a nearby Beedi factory. As floods have brought life to a standstill in Bihar, he is also among lakhs of laborers struggling to earn to sustain their lives.
On Wednesday, September 8 he along with 520 other families was provided with ration by US-based IMRC Indian Muslim Relief & Charities (IMRC) team of volunteers working in Bhagalpur district of Bihar.
“Floods have taken everything from us. Our mud houses, our work. A man can sustain without house but he cannot survive without work which provides us money to buy food. After receiving food packet, I am happy that I don’t have to worry about food for next two weeks . By then chances are high that we will be able to go back to work,” said Jamsheed Ahmed.
On Wednesday, IMRC volunteers distributed food packets among 520 families at two centres in Amdaar and Agarpurtola village in Bhagalpur district whereas on Tuesday, 1,080 families were provided with food packets in Manihari, Azampur Gola villages of Katihar district taking total beneficiare families to 1,600.
Every food packet includes, 5 kg rice, 3 kg rice flakes, 1 kg Jaggery, 1 kg pulses, biscuits, 500 ml mustard oil.
Idress Ahmed
Tears started rolling down the cheeks of Idress Ahmed, 72, a labourer and a flood victim from Amdaar village of Bhagalpur district, while receiving the food packet. He made prayers for those who donated for cause.
“The help is like a blessing for us. We could have starved to death as we don’t have any work to do. We have lost everything in this flood. It will take us years to get back our lives together again,” he said.
Syed Abdul Najeeb, project manager of Hyderabad based Sahayata Trust, the implementation partner of IMRC, who is coordinating and supervising relief work in flood affected districts of Bihar said, “Right now, the labour class in Bihar is the most affected one. Since last three weeks they haven’t been able to get back to their work due to floods. They are out of ration. Crops are totally damaged and majority of them lived alongside rivers leading to damage to their mud houses from the gusty flood waters.”
“IMRC relief work is already in progress. we have done an intensive survey and in phased manner we are distributing food packets among the beneficiaries,” he added.
Syed Abdul Najeeb distributing food packets among the beneficiaries
Responding to one of the worst floods in over a decade in Bihar, IMRC initiated an immediate relief work, providing ration like and ready to eat meals to the poor and needy flood affected families.
IMRC have sanctioned an amount of Rs 33.3 lakh ($50,000) for relief work.
Bihar is facing one of the worst floods in the decade despite receiving less than normal rainfall as all the major rivers flowing through the state are over the danger mark. Over two million people from 1,115 villages of 12 districts in Bihar have been affected by devastating floods forcing over 1.7 lakh to take shelter in relief camps.
The floods have claimed lives of 179 people so far.