With incessant rains showering down in Delhi-NCR this September, people living on the banks of the Yamuna river had to evacuate to higher ground.
On Tuesday, 27 September, the water level of the river rose to 206.11 metres, well above the danger mark of 205.33, causing the excess water to flow over the fields and hutments in the low-lying areas.
The Quint visited Yamuna Khadar, opposite the Mayur Vihar Extension metro station and Delhi’s Old Iron Bridge near Shashtri Park to speak to residents at two of the flooded areas.
Farm Yield Ruined, Living Under a Flyover
Speaking to The Quint, Sachin, 20, who works as a farmer and had grown cauliflower, spinach, among other vegetables, said, "Sab paani mein beh gaye. (They all died in the water)."
While helping another resident save his radishes and gathering them in a pile, Sachin said that he used to sell his vegetables in neighbouring Noida.
Meanwhile, another resident waded into waist-deep water to salvage the remaining plants of his nursery.
Most of the residents of Yamuna Khadar are now living under a flyover, facing the nearby metro station.
Meanwhile, another farmer Aram Singh, 35, said, "Everything’s gone. We had used expensive seeds."
Showing us how tall his yield had grown, Singh said that the flood waters entered their homes at around 1 am in the night. He says that more than half their belongings were left behind in their huts while they scrambled to the higher pavements of Mayur Vihar-Noida motorway.
Avdesh Mandal, 64, a rickshaw puller since 1995, who has been staying in Yamuna Khadar since 2004 told The Quint more about the area.
"Most of the people here are farmers, a few are rickshaw pullers, while their wives work on farms as labourers," he said.
"There is a rain basera (night shelter) where around 40 to 50 people can stay. There are beds and blankets available there," Mandal points out, adding that while the night shelter is standing, the residents' hutments, made of straw and bamboo, have all been ruined.
Speaking about the losses and the money required to reconstruct the jhuggis (huts), Mandal said, "a Jhuggi costs around Rs 12,000 to make.
Good Samaritans Arrive
At the flyover adjacent to Yamuna Kahadar, two men were seen giving out food packets from their car's trunk.
Speaking to The Quint, the man introduced himself as Sushil Sharma, 39.
"I saw all these people under the flyover, and that there were no arrangements made for them. We came last night to serve some eatables. And today we have got lunch made for around 5,000 people. Whosoever can help should help. I also request the government to provide them relief," Sharma said.
A businessman himself, Sharma stated that he is "disappointed" by the way the government has left the people in the lurch.
No Evacuation Announcement Made
Instead of staying under the flyover, a few families, whose houses were near the Mayur Vihar toll road exit, have placed their families near the guardrail of the road.
One of them, Parshuram Mandal, 40, said that the water had reached till their waist. Mandal, along with several other residents, said that they received no announcement warning about the rising water levels.
When asked about his losses, Mandal said that he faced losses of around Rs 2 lakh.
"We had grown gourd, beans, radish, brinjal. All 18 bigha of vegetables were lost," he said. He added that his family is part of a group of five families that stay together, all from the same district in Bihar.
His wife said that water had come rushing and they were not able to save their children's books or school uniforms.
Mandal said, "Compensation is a far away idea. They can’t even provide us food, there is no cooking gas cylinder. Among 100 residents, just 20 have a cylinder. Those people help us, otherwise we use mitti chulha, the makeshift stove."
Grey Grass & Residents Under an Old Bridge
At the Old Iron Bridge area, several civil defence volunteers were seen providing lunch to the displaced residents.
26-year-old Sumit Pawar has been working as a civil defence volunteer for three years. He informed us that they have been providing food and water for the past three days.
Though the water has receded in the area, for most, their houses have to be repaired or rebuilt. However residents here confirmed that they were fore-warned about the possibility of flooding.
Another resident of the area, Bhopal (37), said that he worked as a bridge repairman and stays under it.
When the floodwaters came, he was able to carry his belongings. to higher ground.
Mohammad Arul, a 60-year-old E-rickshaw driver said that the water in his house had still hadn't completely dried up.
He showed us how he had packed all his belongings onto a cart to save them from the water.
Monu, a 28-year-old driver, said he was not keen on speaking to the media. "What is there to talk about?" he said.
"It’s a waste of time. Unless this leads to the government providing us some benefit, there is nothing to say. This keeps happening, this is our life," he added.
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