By TCN News
In an attempt to help the flood-affected families in West Bengal and Assam, Hyderabad-based Sahayata Trust distributed food packets containing ration among 2,000 families in both the states.
The flood relief program was organized on September 4 to redress the worst-hit areas of Malda district, 327 km from Kolkata. The four teams of Sahayata Trust reached Harishchandrapur, Chanchal and Ratua villages with 1,000 relief packets.
The flood hit Bengal on August 16, when water entered North Bengal hitting Malda district the worst. More than 200,000 people have been affected by the floods. Four blocks of Malda district were under the water including Englishbazar.
The relief packets comprised of nine food products including 10kg of rice, salt, pulses, and other necessary ingredients. To ensure the relief packets reach the deserving, the team first distributed tokens and later delivered the food packets.
The relief was extended to the affected families in the interiors and badly affected areas. Although the water level has dropped considerably, the effect was a colossus. In Ratua block, nearly 87 % mud houses collapsed and people took shelter in makeshift tents on high roads. In Harishchandrapur, Panchayat I & II, a major embankment broke and as a result, the village stays disconnected from the nearby town.
“We were without proper ration stocks and were wondering how to arrange the same and suddenly these people came with food packets. We can now eat until things go back to normal,” said Biplab Saha of Narayanpur village in Harishchandrapur block.
Nurjahan Bibi of Monipur village who live in a relief camp after her house was destroyed in the flood, said, “ I lost my house, belongings and everything we had collected all through these years. We live in a relief camp now and due to floods we can’t find any work either, besides arranging food is a big problem from the very first day. These food packets will at least assure that we stay fed for next 15 days.”
In Assam, the Floods wreak havoc every year, and this year has been no different. This year, floods caused by three long and heavy spells of rain since March have claimed 157 lives so far. The damage to life and property has been enormous. There are thousands of people who, having lost their homes, are still living in relief camps.
As of September 8, 44,618 people continue to be affected by floods in Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Chirang, Morigaon, Nagaon, Jorhat, and Cachar districts. As per the report issued on Sunday by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), Nagaon is the worst affected with 23,500 people, followed by Morigaon with over 12,500 people affected by the deluge.
Sahayata Trust also distributed relief packets among 1000 floods affected families in Tengaguri, Falihamari, Joribor, Laharighat villages of Morigaon district in Assam.
“We were in dire need to food grains and the help to us has come in time,” said Abdul Khalek one of the beneficiaries.
Importantly, the relief work is under way in flood hit Bihar, where 3,000 families are being provided with food packets containing food grains for a month.
Earlier in July this year, the relief was also extended to 1000 flood-affected families in Manipur.