This monsoon has brought upon a new, grave concern for the residents of Delhi: flood. Hundreds of people are severely affected by it. Many have lost their homes and hope for the future. The Wire talked to some of the people in the Mayur Vihar flood relief camp who took refuge there after the flood waters submerged their houses – destroying all the amenities they had, necessary to run a life.
People from Chilla Khadar (Yamuna Bank) area are now homeless and stuck under dehumanising conditions in Mayur Vihar Flood Relief Camp, waiting to return to their homes.
“Bad urban planning is responsible for our conditions, we are always excluded. You see, the posh parts of the city are never drowned. And even if there’s water in those places, they do not face the torment that we face. Rich people never suffer from these curses. We are the ones who are perennially subjected to this.’’ says Sangeeta (16), a student of 11th standard. She wanted to become an IAS officer but is now cynical about it since the flood has destroyed almost everything that their family had, leaving them to start their life all over again from scratch.
“Nobody gave us any warning about the flood. There was no official announcement or information. All my books were drowned. Books are expensive and we don’t have the money to buy them again. I am going to school from this relief camp these days but I don’t have any books. What will I study? And how will I study?”
“We are poor people but we are also residents of Delhi. And that too for a long time. Our fathers and grandfathers have lived in these lands. We gave everything to Delhi. We built the city, we grew the crops. We spent all our lives cleaning rich people’s houses. But now as we are stranded in these camps, nobody has any problem with it. The government has no value for us. Will the government officials eat the food that we are getting here? They won’t. Because this food is made for poor people. They expect us to shut our mouths even after all these. There is no relief at this relief camp!” says Sonia Devi (44) who used to work as an agricultural labourer prior to the flood.
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty
Bittu (21), a YouTuber and video editor, while resenting the Delhi government’s inaction and carelessness about flood victims, says “Nobody came to rescue us when the floods hit our settlements. We reached this relief camp on our own. We had to make boats using banana trees. People have walked through the waters at neck levels carrying little kids on their shoulders. We had to leave almost all of our belongings under the water.”
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty
“Some officials came and asked us to drink clean water at the camp but how will we have clean water when there is no water at all!” he adds.
Another agricultural labourer, Mangala Mondal (32), is now unsure of the future of his earnings. “I lost my pumping machine in the flood. It cost me 40,000 Rupees. The government has promised to give 10,000 Rupees to each of our families. Tell me what will we do with that money? We lost everything in this flood. This small amount of money won’t help us at all.”
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty
Domestic worker and the sole breadwinner of her family, Samina Khatun (46), has recently lost her husband and staying opposite to the relief camp without a shade says, “I was already coping with my husband’s sudden death and then came the flood that washed away all of our belongings. Our shanty was not strong enough to resist the waters. Now, I don’t know how I will rebuild our home! There is no help from anybody. There is no government for poor people!”
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty
“The government has left us to snakes and insects. There is no protection from mosquitoes, deadly insects, and even snakes in this camp. Last night, we found a snake inside the tent. There is no proper light, not a single fan in this heat. It is impossible to stay here but we don’t have any choice either. We have no idea how many more days we will have to spend here. We want to go back to our homes!” says Jamuna Devi (42), a homemaker.
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty
Her son Subhash (26) works at the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) as a sanitation worker. He works with jetting and super sucker machines to tackle waterlogging throughout the city during heavy monsoon. “I work for MCD but the MCD has done nothing for us!” he says.