GANGI JAMUNI/MADHUBANI: When floodwater from the turbulent Dhaus river entered Haricharan's home, the 40-year-old dailywage labourer was worried but not scared. Since childhood, he had endured such deluges at least twice a year.
In any case, the flood shelter was quite nearby. But neither Haricharan nor his wife Samundari Devi had an idea about the flood's ferocity this time. "Suddenly, I saw our roof coming down into the water. The entire house was caving in," he recalls. Worried about the cost of rebuilding the roof, Haricharan then took a split-second decision. He decided to save the roof at any cost. The current, though, was too strong. And soon, he was swept away with the roof that became a raft of sorts for him. A kilometre away from home, Haricharan made a second error of judgment.
He jumped off the floating roof and decided to swim to the flood shelter. But he soon realised that he was unable to make progress. And it then dawned on him that he could act-ually drown. Meanwhile, wife Samu-ndari, who could see her husband in mortal danger, raised an alarm. Bharat Yadav, a 20-year-old student, was the first to hear the cry for help. A member of the village-level disaster preparedness committee (VDPC), he was ferrying around 25 villagers from the low-lying areas to safety. With him was Beeran Naddaf, a 55-year-old Muslim labourer and another member of VDPC.
"I immediately dropped off the evacuees to the flood shelter which was midway from where Haricharan was stuck," remembers Bharat, of the incident that took place in late July this year. Haricharan was a good swimmer but he had become visibly tired trying to stay afloat. By the time the rescue team reached him, only his head was out of water. Haricharan was on the verge of losing consciousness. "Another five minutes and he was gone," says Beeran. The dailywage labourer was carried out of water and taken to the flood shelter where he recovered. The rescue was possible because in the past few years, villagers in Gangi Jamuni, located in north Bihar's Madhubani district, have organised themselves to counter the floods. According to latest National Disaster Management Agency figures, at least 24.5 million have been affected by floods this year in 22 districts of Bihar. Damage to crop, homes and public property is estimated at Rs 4,000 crore. NGOs such as Oxfam and Bihar Sewa Samiti have launched programmes meant to reduce the vulnerability of those affected by the flood.
Through village-level disaster preparedness committees, the BSS has helped 20 villages organise themselves in facing the floods better. The village has been divided into different task forces such as rescue, health, early warning — who together form the VDPC. Each task force in these committees has 20 members (10 males and 10 females). "All groups are individually trained.
They are equipped with rescue kits and first aid kits," says Binod Kumar of Bihar Sewa Samiti. That apart, the NGOs have helped the villagers raise the platforms of their homes by at least a foot or more. But more importantly, the villagers have their own indigenous system of observing and predicting natural disasters. "We are trying to integrate traditional knowledge with modern technology. Which is why we have supplied them with megaphones," says Mani Kumar of Oxfam. Going by the amount of damage that flood waters wreak every year, the villagers need every bit of that help. avijit.ghosh@timesgroup.com
In any case, the flood shelter was quite nearby. But neither Haricharan nor his wife Samundari Devi had an idea about the flood's ferocity this time. "Suddenly, I saw our roof coming down into the water. The entire house was caving in," he recalls. Worried about the cost of rebuilding the roof, Haricharan then took a split-second decision. He decided to save the roof at any cost. The current, though, was too strong. And soon, he was swept away with the roof that became a raft of sorts for him. A kilometre away from home, Haricharan made a second error of judgment.
He jumped off the floating roof and decided to swim to the flood shelter. But he soon realised that he was unable to make progress. And it then dawned on him that he could act-ually drown. Meanwhile, wife Samu-ndari, who could see her husband in mortal danger, raised an alarm. Bharat Yadav, a 20-year-old student, was the first to hear the cry for help. A member of the village-level disaster preparedness committee (VDPC), he was ferrying around 25 villagers from the low-lying areas to safety. With him was Beeran Naddaf, a 55-year-old Muslim labourer and another member of VDPC.
"I immediately dropped off the evacuees to the flood shelter which was midway from where Haricharan was stuck," remembers Bharat, of the incident that took place in late July this year. Haricharan was a good swimmer but he had become visibly tired trying to stay afloat. By the time the rescue team reached him, only his head was out of water. Haricharan was on the verge of losing consciousness. "Another five minutes and he was gone," says Beeran. The dailywage labourer was carried out of water and taken to the flood shelter where he recovered. The rescue was possible because in the past few years, villagers in Gangi Jamuni, located in north Bihar's Madhubani district, have organised themselves to counter the floods. According to latest National Disaster Management Agency figures, at least 24.5 million have been affected by floods this year in 22 districts of Bihar. Damage to crop, homes and public property is estimated at Rs 4,000 crore. NGOs such as Oxfam and Bihar Sewa Samiti have launched programmes meant to reduce the vulnerability of those affected by the flood.
Through village-level disaster preparedness committees, the BSS has helped 20 villages organise themselves in facing the floods better. The village has been divided into different task forces such as rescue, health, early warning — who together form the VDPC. Each task force in these committees has 20 members (10 males and 10 females). "All groups are individually trained.
They are equipped with rescue kits and first aid kits," says Binod Kumar of Bihar Sewa Samiti. That apart, the NGOs have helped the villagers raise the platforms of their homes by at least a foot or more. But more importantly, the villagers have their own indigenous system of observing and predicting natural disasters. "We are trying to integrate traditional knowledge with modern technology. Which is why we have supplied them with megaphones," says Mani Kumar of Oxfam. Going by the amount of damage that flood waters wreak every year, the villagers need every bit of that help. avijit.ghosh@timesgroup.com
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