Yamuna Floodplains Archives - Lokmarg

‘Misery Caused By Delhi Floods Was A Photo Opportunity For Many’

By LokMarg 31st July 2023

Anjali, secretary of the All India Students Association (AISA), Delhi University, recounts her experience after visiting the flood-affected labourers families in Yamuna floodplains:

Our party, the CPI-ML (Liberation) and its students’ wing, AISA, have been continuously working among the working people of Delhi. For, we believe in the solidarity and struggle of the working class people. From my experience on the ground, I can say the Indian State and the Union government led by the BJP have no regard for the people who actually build and run the city with their hard labour and sweat.

This time also, when people’s homes were flooded, the people got nothing, other than empty promises, from both Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal. Hence, as students, committed to the cause of a just society, we thought it was imperative to go and stand with the working people who have been worst affected by the inundation and mass displacement.

A team of 20 activists visited Ambedkar Basti, Wazirabad and Dhobi Ghat on 14 July where poor workers reside in temporary settlements in extremely difficult conditions. Even a cursory look at the settlement proved that these people have been compulsively ignored — way before the floods came. Ambedkar Basti and Dhobi Ghat had predominantly migrant Dalit and Muslim population.

We saw people waiting on their terrace with no expectation, and, absolutely no hope, with their homes half-submerged with water-level up to four feet. Rains and poor drainage have been catastrophic for the residents there and it is symptomatic of the inhuman living conditions that the labour population is subjected to. The people didn’t want to leave their homes and go anywhere even though they had no water, food or shelter.

***Anjali says Centre and Delhi governments were busy shifting blame while the poor suffered***

Even when we reached, they misunderstood us as people from the government and we were told, “Bohot log photo khich ke chale gaye, tum bhi photo aur vedio banane aaye ho kya?” (A lot of people have come here to take pictures and videos, are you also one of them?) After explaining who we were, they welcomed us and showed us around. Almost everything around was damaged by the flood.

ALSO READ: ‘Daily Wagers Were The Worst Affected By Floods’

The people staying in these places are daily-wage workers, rickshaw-pullers, domestic-helpers, electricians, construction workers etc. Hence, for them, not being able to get out of their homes meant hunger and deprivation for their families. The stagnant water had caused severe diarrhoea, dengue, skin-infections, etc. Not able to get out also meant not being able to afford medicines to treat these diseases. The flood had damaged not just their homes, but also what was inside: their modest belongings like beds, tables, fridge, ration, documents, even the books of children — leaving people worse-off than before.

We decided to start with relief work by making a list of all that seemed necessary, like drinking water, food, medicines, sanitary pads and diapers. We appealed for funds from the citizens of Delhi, who helped the working people in whatever capacity they could.

From 15th July releif work began in Working class areas of Delhi, the same people who were first skeptical at our visit said “Aap log pehle hain jo madad karne vapis aaye” (you’re the first ones who came back to help). This communicated the anger and frustration of the people from both the union and the state government. We distributed releif kits to Over 500 families. We also intend to conduct a survey in these areas for children who lost their education material.

***Distribution of relief kits to the flood victims***

Kejriwal claimed that his government had set up relief camps at various places in Delhi, but the reality is that these places had no water or food; at some places the stale food caused poisoning. The CPI-ML wrote to the Delhi chief minister and Lt Governor about the condition of people. But, the Union and state governments were busy shifting blame on each other; the victims were left to fend for themselves.

The larger problem behind all this is fake promises made by the BJP and AAP — ‘Jahan jhuggi vahan makaan’. A lot of these settlements are on Yamuna floodplains, which the government says, are ‘illegal’. However, the fact is, the people have been forced to live here for decades; they are constantly pushed out to the peripheries through illegal demolitions, rising rent, cost of living and the ghettoisation of the working class in our metros. Indeed, it is a continuous and tragic narrative, and there seems no end to this brazen injustice.

As told to Amit Sengupta

‘Daily Wagers In Delhi-NCR Are Worst Affected By Yamuna Floods’

By LokMarg 28th July 2023

Dev Pratap Singh Chauhan, co-founder of NGO Voice of Slum, has been consistently working for the underprivileged impacted by natural disasters

Climate change has become an undeniable reality that has been impacting various aspects of human life across the globe. One of the most vulnerable sections which is bearing the brunt of this crisis in Delhi-NCR are the daily wage earners, who routinely grapple with the severe consequences of natural calamities, particularly floods. As a result, their livelihoods suffer and their children’s education discontinue, leading to a distressing situation.

Daily wagers form a significant proportion of the population in metropolitan cities like Delhi-NCR, accounting for approximately 40-50 percent of the workforce. These individuals heavily rely on their daily earnings for sustenance, as they lack job security and social safety nets. Many of them live in hutments along Yamuna floodplains. These vulnerable workers find themselves at the receiving end several times in the year, bearing the harshest consequences.

Flooding, specifically, has emerged as a recurrent problem that has severely impacted the lives of these daily wage earners. Continuous flooding in their areas has led to a critical reduction in working hours, impeding their ability to earn a livelihood. As a result, these individuals are unable to step out and make money, leaving them without the means to support their families and meet their basic needs.

Recent Yamuna floods have dealt a severe blow to the education of underprivileged children. With their homes destroyed and limited resources, these children are now forced to skip school in order to assist their families in making ends meet. The floods have caused immense financial strain, leaving parents unable to afford basic necessities, let alone school fees or supplies.

ALSO READ: Here’s Why Gurgaon Gets Flooded But Not Noida

The economic repercussions of climate change render education an unaffordable luxury for these children, as they become obligated to join their parents in the workforce to make ends meet. The sad reality is that their dreams and aspirations for a brighter future will have to be put on hold as they prioritize survival over education.

Our NGO, Voice Of Slum, has taken up the mantle to address the challenges faced by these daily wage earners by providing assistance to these families. We aim to alleviate their immediate economic burdens, enabling them to secure a steady income amidst the challenges posed by natural calamities. Urgent support and intervention are required to ensure these children have access to quality education, despite the devastating impact of the flood.

The increasing frequency of flooding has severely reduced their working hours and livelihood opportunities. As a result, underprivileged children are forced to abandon their education, exacerbating the cycle of poverty and hindering their prospects for a better future. However, our efforts, both in providing assistance to these families and conducting research on their situation, offer hope in addressing this crisis. It is imperative that governmental authorities, civil society organizations, and the wider community collaborate to implement sustainable measures that protect and support the most vulnerable sections of society in the face of climate change.

As told to Deepti Sharma

‘Humans Must Come Out To Help The Voiceless In A Flood-Like Situation’

By LokMarg 23rd July 2023

Vidit Sharma, a Noida-based animal rights activist, says all compassionate humans must come together to rescue stranded animals during a natural calamity. His views:

Flooding can indeed be a devastating natural calamity, and the bravery of those who volunteered to save humans and animals stuck or stranded in water are commendable. Our Animal Welfare Project has been serving the strays of Noida and various locations with dedication and compassion. So, when the rising level of Yamuna recently wreaked havoc on Noida and Delhi floodplains, we extended our support to the animals affected by the calamity, providing them with much-needed relief and care.

It is heartwarming to know that we were not alone in this noble work. There are many other good Samaritans who selflessly and tirelessly worked during these tough times. In a world where humans often take center stage, there exists a devoted team committed to making a difference in the lives of animals.

During such floods, animals often find themselves in life-threatening situations, trapped in rising waters and in urgent need for rescue. Our team has been working to ensure that post-rescue these animals receive the nourishment they require. We have managed to feed thousands of strays daily, distributing food to various locations where these animals seek refuge.

Our work is not restricted to saving only the canine. Cows, a revered specie in our culture, are often left to fend for themselves in urban areas. Recognizing their plight, our project has taken up the responsibility of caring for hundreds of cattle. Our team provides these bovine creatures with food and water, aiming to improve their quality of life and promote compassion towards them.

When floods struck the Yamuna floodplains in Delhi and Noida, our hearts went out to the animals struggling to survive amidst the disaster. Our relief and rescue efforts for animals became a top priority. We initiated feeding and rescue operations for both cattle and dogs affected by the disaster.

ALSO READ: Flood Victims Return To Camps As Yamuna Rises

Hundreds of distressed dogs were rescued during the floods and shifted to a safer location. Taking upon ourselves the responsibility to feed and provide support to these rescued animals, we ensured they received the care they deserved in the aftermath of the disaster.

Our project’s dedication is evident through the deployment of a special food van that reaches hundreds of strays in various locations. This mobile support unit provides the much-needed nutrition to these animals, ensuring they do not go hungry in their time of need.

Animal welfare is a mission which is very close to my heart. While several organizations tirelessly work towards human welfare, the cause of animal welfare often receives less attention. We recognized this disparity and took up the mission to serve thousands of strays, ensuring they are not forgotten or neglected.

Our Project stands as a shining example of compassion and dedication towards the voiceless creatures who share our living space. Through feeding the strays and taking care of cows during flo situations, we strive to make a significant impact on the lives of these animals. As we continue our mission to serve the animals in need, we call upon others to join us and become a part of this noble endeavor. Together, we can create a brighter, more compassionate world for all beings, big and small.

As told to Deepti Sharma

When It Rains, It Pours Memories

By Amit Sengupta 18th July 2023

Hello, beautiful man I’ll never have on Rue Charlot. Hello, woman smoking
by the Seine and closing her eyes between drags.
We’re all lost, even in Paris,
and if this place won’t take my mood off you,
I guess I’m in love
And in for more rain…
– Alex Dimitrov, Someone in Paris, France, is Thinking of You

Let the rain kiss you, Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops, Let the rain sing you a lullaby.
– Langston Hughes

Under the undulating flyover, Indian classical dancers, all women, are dancing their epical dance: Kuchipudi, Oddissi, Kathak, Bharat Natyam. Even a gypsy woman is dancing in absolute abandon, her hair flying with the wind in symphony with her colourful skirt. And the rain falls like a cosmic galaxy on a wounded country, soaking it with delight, healing it, helping it to survive with optimism and song, in such bleak, bleak times, when a demonic evil stalks the land.

Not always. The Yamuna floodplains have flooded yet again, as is the annual ritual during monsoon. In East Delhi, the peasants and daily-wagers who work on lease on the lush green land made fertile with the dirty waters of the nullah called Yamuna, ravaged and degraded by urban civilizations since decades, have yet again moved up on the pavements and below the flyover, watched by our women classical dancers.

Like the thousands of migrant workers and their families, emaciated, famished, hungry and thirsty, holding sacks with their bare belongings, who trekked across miles of hot highways under the hard sun of a scorching summer after the sudden lockdown of March 24, 2020, and left to their fate to die on the streets, suddenly, the urban society has discovered these invisible tillers-of-the-land, who have come to showcase their life and times to the citizens of Delhi. So, who are these people yet again, to which country do they belong?

Their humble huts are floating in the waters like democratic monuments of eternal progress. And, like every year, year after year, they have set up another time-tested river-civilisation, on the margins of post-modernity, with swanky cars and SUVs floating by. While the front pages of newspapers celebrate India’s glorious, much-belated journey to the moon! And, that too, after much chanting and prayers, seeking the blessings of miscellaneous Hindu gods.

The displaced citizens of India have set up their homes quickly, resilient residents of earth, as they are, like artists who know their craft. Kids are jumping up and down in the open-to-sky courtyards on a ‘charpai’, women are cooking thick rotis on make-shift chulhas with wood collected from the mini-forest in the neighbourhood, shared with pickle, onion and green chilly, the elderly women are stiching and fixing old clothes, and a young boy is playing a flute in the corner, oblivious of the morning traffic rushing by.

The morning flute has an intrinsic, sublime and soothing sound, soaked with dew drops of the dawn, hiding the night’s unrequited fantasies. It’s a melody which lingers and stays inside my cotton shirt, like a not-so-forgotten, much-familiar, fragrance, flowing with the north wind, as I sing an old Rafi song, riding on my grumbling, vintage, mobike.

Suddenly, old books have yet again started smelling like wood, bark, fallen leaves, lost petals, old sweaters , cotton saris, and wine. Suddenly, books have yet again found their time and space in forgotten forests with mountain-springs and birds chirping at midnight. Suddenly, the pages turn on their own, making a sound of friendship, seeking attention, surrounded by the soft smell of tobacco, as a nocturnal breeze carried by the western disturbances enters the window, like a slow shadow of the past. And life becomes nostalgia yet again, in fast-forward- slow-motion, refusing to go away.

Torrents of rain in the sleepless, summer courtyards, and we don’t need the coolers now. The first mangos, raw and ripe, in the mango orchard next to our home, has enveloped the small-town night with its heady, addictive, seductive aroma, and the songs in the All India Radio Urdu Service, remind us of lost loves and long, lonely journeys, submerged in the longings and desires of the sensuality of the earth, smelling of rain, skin and humidity.

Under the ledge on the terrace, protected from the diagonal and crafty rain, I tell the kids of the mohalla spontaneous ghost stories without head or tail, mostly concocted at the spur of the moment. The kids hold their ‘susu’ out of a joyful, artificial fear, thirsty for more ghost stories. And the water flows through the terraces of childhood like a song of the road: Pather Panchali.

It would be a rainy day tomorrow. If it is exam day, oh, what infinite joy! Rainy days are perhaps the most inspiring days of childhood when all the story books come out, from Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers and Famous Five, to Chandamama, Phantom and Champak. This is the time to enter the mysterious, unexplored terrain of imagination and dream. This is the time to experiment with truth.

Rabindranath Tagore wrote a precious memory of the torrential rain of Bengal in his sprawling home called ‘Jorashonko’ in North Calcutta, with its entrance marked by an amphi-theatre. This is after Kal-Boishaki of March-April, when a certain theatre in the skies is enacted with magical melodrama – thunder, lightening, fierce winds, the blue sky changing into vermillion, orange, red, before the darkness of these romantic nights surround the soul and the heart with deep desires. In Kal-Boishaki, rain never ever arrives, but, there is something primordial and elemental about it, like the poems of Walt Whitman and Jorge Luis Borges.

So it is raining in Tagore’s family home and the kids are overjoyed. Today, therefore, Mastermoshai – the strict tuition teacher – will not arrive – how can he, in this fierce rain? But, then, tragedy strikes – because, there he is, in his dhoti and kurta, riding his ramshackle bicycle, holding his ancient black umbrella, determined as always!

In a quiet and solitary railway station somewhere near Bongai Gaon in Assam, a tea-vendor from Bihar is writing a letter under the flickering light of a lantern. In the midst of a meadow and vast, empty land, the railway tracks shine with metallic glory as rain strikes the earth, filling the railway station with a sweet, shadowy, ghostly mist. This is the place where one should spend a few nights in the rain and write a short-story. This is the place where one should fix up a secret rendezvous. This is the place where one should come every monsoon, with a bottle of Old Monk, a notebook and a fountain pen.

So why is he writing a letter past-midnight, surrounded by this eternal, nocturnal solitude? “A train will arrive soon,” he says. “It will travel through Bengal. And, then, to my homeland – Bihar. It will take my letter to my mother, father, wife and children. I miss them!”