WRATHFUL MOTHER GANGA TAKES AWAY EVERYTHING

TERRIFIED PEOPLE CLING TO MOTHER’S SHORES TO CALM HER DOWN

KANPUR, September 28:  Around five hundred mud houses of the low-lying katri area have been washed away completely by the fury of the Ganga. People belonging to thirteen villages have taken shelter in the flood relief camp at Behrai village on bypass side of the Ganga barrage. After losing all their land and property, the villagers there are waiting for the furious Mother Ganga to calm down so that they could return to their homes for a new beginning.

                It has been one and a half months since water in the Ganga began rising due to heavy rains in the upper parts of the northern India. It crossed the danger mark 115.50 meters at the Ganga barrage at 6 a.m. on September 27 and presently is flowing 70 cm above the danger mark. Several low-lying surrounding areas like Chainpurwa, Rampur, Gangarampurwa, Devnipurwa, Pahadipurwa, and others have been inundated with huge loss of agricultural land and crops. People who have never seen the Ganga in such devastating form are terrified. Residents of thirteen villages, who lost everything due to the floods, have come to the flood relief camp at Behrai village situated on the bypass side of the Ganga barrage. Administration has done all arrangements to help the large number of people staying in the relief camps.

                We met several families in the relief camp and felt the extent to loss that the people have suffered. Bhagwandin and his daughter-in-law Sushma from Chainpurwa were one of the first few who came to the camp about one and a half months ago. They told us that they had lost their house and all belongings due to the flood. Malku, Amar Singh, and Ganga Prasad from the same village told us that Guava crop was completely destroyed as the trees were uprooted by the force of the river. Women like Rasiti and Indrana started crying when asked about their story. Each of them had similar stories of loss and grief to tell.

Sukkha of Devnipurwa came here about six days ago. He told that around 10-15 houses in his village were just scooped away by the force of the Ganga. He said that most of the people were farmers and labourers who had lost everything that they had. Changa of Rampur village said that he had constructed a house this year only which cost him 5 lakhs and yesterday his house succumbed to the fury of the Ganga and was swept away. Now, he had only the shelter of his temporary polythene tent. Ramswarup, Gulaba Devi, Sukhrani, and Gokul also told us that they had lost all their belongings and some cattle too because of the flood.

Most of the people that we talked to said that perhaps the Ganga was angry with them and so had taken away whatever she had given to them. But life goes on as Gokul, one of the villagers said, “Mother Ganga is angry and we have nowhere else to go. We hope that she calms down soon so that we could go back to start all over again.”