Yamuna flood:Relief camp dwellers rue lack of water and power

At least 1,200 camps have been set up across 53 locations. In some of the camps basic amenities including food, water and electricity were missing.

A pregnant woman and her family, including two children, had to spend a night perched on a tree to save themselves from the swelling waters of the Yamuna at Usmanpur on the eastern bank of the river after water entered their house.

Residents of Kisan Basti take out belongings through an alley flooded with the Yamuna, at Kisan Basti, near Kashmere Gate ISBT, in New Delhi. (Raj K Raj / Hindustan Times)

The woman and her family were rescued by a team of police officials and NDRF personnel around 12 noon after the family managed to dial the police. “The family was initially reluctant to leave their house despite the rising water level. Later on Tuesday night, when the water level started rising drastically, the woman and her two children climbed a tree. When her husband, a rickshaw-puller returned home from work, he also climbed the tree. They were later shifted to a relief camp,” said Atul Thakur, DCP (Northeast) .

At least 1,200 camps have been set up across 53 locations. HT visited at least three such camp sites. In some of the camps basic amenities including food, water and electricity were missing.

Under a blazing sun, 36-year-old Sanjay Singh, hauled his bicycle — carrying two five litre water cans hanging from either side — uphill from the Yamuna floodplains to the Geeta Colony flyover, where a relief camp has been set up. Two children gave him a hand, pushing the cycle up as it kept rolling back down the slope. Singh had to fetch water from the handpump near the floodplains, as drinking water is yet to be arranged at the camp site.

The families living in shanties along the floodplains were shifted to the camp on Tuesday night. But till 3pm on Monday, they were without food, water, electricity and even medicines for children who had fallen sick because of the weather.

“We have been up since Tuesday night shifting our belongings. Nobody has come to meet us yet. There is no water, no food packets or even medicines for children. We could go hungry for a while but what do we tell the children?” said Singh, who is a farmer.

Jamila Khatoon, 41, said they were told that 40 more tents will be erected by Wednesday noon. “People are still waiting with their baggage to find shelter. We have called up the local office to check the status of the tents. Children are falling sick because of the heat and we are wading through water to shift to the camp.”

Many people had missed out on their day’s work for fetching water and arranging for supplies. “We are fetching water from the handpumps from far away for domestic chores. I went to Daryaganj to buy drinking water for my children, as they have got viral fever,” said Hansraj, 38, who works as a salesman.

A senior government officer from Central district, under which the area falls, said new sites were being flooded, which were provided all the amenities by late afternoon. “The tents were in the process of being pitched, as the sites were flooded the previous night and we got to know of their requirements only then. All arrangements from food to electricity were made. We have set up 348 tents across 15 locations in the district while 1,304 people have been evacuated,” the officer said.

Meanwhile, in some colonies along the Yamuna ghats, electricity supply had to be disconnected after water entered the locality to avoid electrocution. People had to take shelter on terraces.

“We slept on the terrace last night. We were told to shift to tents but most people have stayed back. After 2013, this is the first time that water rose to this level,” said Malti Kashyap, a social worker, who lives close to Nigam Bodh ghat.