Floodwater recedes, but leaves Punjab villagers coping with its aftermath

While the water has receded in Macchiwala ‘pind’ (village) in Ajnala tehsil of Punjab's Amritsar district, the serious impacts of the recent floods continue to pose challenges to the local residents. A team from The Federal Desh recently visited the area to assess the conditions on the ground and the trail of damage and devastation the flood has left behind.

Damage to property, psychological distress

The Federal walked into the house of Amrik Singh, the damp walls of which bore stains of floodwaters up to five feet. A horizontal line could also be noticed on them, suggesting the level where the floodwater had reached.

Also read: Punjab floods: 43 dead, over 1,900 villages affected; Central teams visit state

Singh’s house is not an exception. Most houses in the village have borne such brunt of the monsoon’s fury. What is worse is that for these hapless people, the loss is not restricted to physical damages, but also emotional and psychological distress that are not captured by cameras but could only be understood through conversations.

Power and water crisis

Ever since the floods hit Macchiwala on August 27, Singh’s family has been living without electricity, relying on an inverter and generator for minimal power to run the fan. They are also being compelled to shell out money to buy potable water.

Expressing frustration when asked whether the electricity department took any notice of their plight, Singh said nobody cared to see their condition, and the entire village was facing the same problem.

Also read: Pakistan defence minister calls flood a 'blessing', says store water in tubs

“Nobody has come. And it is not just our house. The condition of the whole village is the same. Everyone is living without electricity,” he told The Federal Desh.

His mother added that daily chores have come to a standstill because of the lack of electricity. She asked, while they could still manage drinking water, even by buying, from where do they bring power?

NDRF accused of only helping celebs

Singh said when floodwater entered his house on August 27, all the furniture and items got wet, and some even got ruined. While he said the villagers came to each other’s help at such a moment of crisis, he also accused the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel who arrived in boats of only helping the celebrities.

Also read: Over 7,500 evacuated as Yamuna floods Delhi’s low-lying areas

Skin problems

Speaking to Singh’s family, The Federal also noticed another worrying aspect of the flood. While the victims grapple with the absence of basic amenities such as water and electricity, they are also facing skin-related problems caused by the floodwater, underscoring the broader, ongoing crisis in the area following the devastating floods.

(This article was originally published in The Federal Desh)