Report 2- As on 1st July 2013

Uttaranchal Daivi Apada Peedit Sahayata Samiti Dehradun, Uttarakhand

A brief Report by Sewa International Team visiting the Flood Affected areas Three relief camps in Uttarkashi district are working round the clock Maneri, Lakshyeswar and Naitawaar. Dr. Nithyanandji, the octogenarian serving the community since last two decades in Maneri, stated that Maneri relief camp is the largest relief providing camp in the district- serving maximum number of affected. Vasukedar village in Rudraprayag district has been totally washed away and needs total reconstruction. UDAPSS has provided tents, utensils and ration/eatables and home kits for the families as part of relief. Volunteers in Gupta Kashi relief camp have identified various flood affected families in surrounding villages and are providing first aid, medicines, counselling, and relief material to 24 families in Lohanda village, 18 families in Tilanga village and 6 families in Dhanashu village. Apart from providing medicines, the volunteers are engaged in conducting acupressure and also conducting yoga & meditation classes as part of counselling. Most of the survivors of the floods from villages are living with their relatives as they have lost their homes & hearths. The volunteers serving in the Narayana Koti, Rudraprayag relief camp have identified 27 babies- 6months to 4 years- who have been orphaned or are left with their lone mother or grandparents due to the floods. Volunteers have already provided some sort of service for the babies and are working on their appropriate rehabilitation. Agricultural plots have been inundated with landslide mass due to avalanches destroying crops, rendering all these fields useless. Flood has taken toll of many farmers and bread earners in the villages. The villages are deserted and all those who are left are seniors- old aged, widows and kids who cannot earn for themselves. Their rehabilitation is another major task ahead. Middle school and High School students in the age group 10-16 had joined their fathers/elder brothers, assisting them in running shops or petty business, during their summer holidays. Their number is expected to be in couple of thousands and most of them are either dead or untraceable.

 Youth and able bodied people- mostly between 19-30 years- who were the bread winners for their families have been lost to the floods and livelihood will be the biggest challenge for the remaining members of the families. Mules are the best means of transportation in the Himalayan ranges for transporting material & men. 12000 mules (Horses) owned by 8000 owners were serving the flood affected areas before the floods. The floods have consumed more than 9000 mules and 4500 owners. The problem of transportation has become a Himalayan task due to this loss in those hilly areas. The rehabilitation program will require experts in construction in Himalayan/hilly region for designing and constructing houses. Huge funding would be required for the proposed rehabilitation program in which houses, community centres, schools, clinics, etc will have to be reconstructed. Doctors and health assistants are also needed in good number for reaching out to many flood affected villages. We would provide the details of these requirements soon. Volunteers from Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and some other states are devoutly engaged in providing the relief to the flood affected in far flung villages. Volunteers would be required for the rehabilitation program in course of time and the need will be informed. Till then, please stay tuned in and hold on.