An update through my visit
(7-10 feb, 09 Dharmendra Kumar with Sanjay Kumar)
It is great question that what is our capacity and how long we shall do work with sufrer people of flood effect zone. Matt (ASB) has asked some questions also regarding these situations. So many people are worried about these. Priya Ranjan and his team have a lot of concerns regarding these issues. Our team (not only bihar team, balji, AID chennai and Delhi too) is always thinking and planning regularly for a long term. But people who are deeply involved with us with a great support are not in contact these time. I am understanding it with an example that phone and mails from those people have become less and I can say except some people, they have stopped to know the situation. May be it is normal situation bcz kusaha dam has broken on 18 aug and it has been repaired. No news in media and from govt front. It is assuming that play has finished and screen has closed. (Parda gir Gaya hai. Ab yaha se chal chale). People are thinking that disaster has over and winter has also passed.
Our efforts: A lot of reports on my blog www.biharflood2008.blogspot.
Our winterkits distribution is almost in last phase. Some blankets and bedsheet are being distributed at kishanpur, vishanpur panchayat of saharsa block and some villages in beldaur block of khagaria.
Situation: It is true that situation became normal and lives became normal. But are the situation and lifes normal below? I am giving some snaps that has taken on 10 feb 2009 when I was visiting for Alamnagar and Gwalpada block of Madhepura dist. In fact I was not expecting that the situation is like this. We had gone there previously by another route. I knew about this area bcz Kamleshwariji had reached one time in my meeting by crossing 7 cuts and by travelling 140km in which almost half distance by foot. But I became more worred after visiting this area this time. I knew agriculture has started at more than 75% land but in this specific area we can say agriculture has started in only 105 land here. And later I knew that there are so many zone where it is the same situation. But I became more worried bcz life is not normal here and living condition is very bad. Surfaces are damped and they are compelled to sleep on that surface. Road has not been repaired. Villages are surrounded by muddy soil and path to reach villages are very bad. Homes are demolished and broken. They have not been repaired till now. Youth have migrated to big cities and their family members are living in semi open sky.
Feed back of a village: I along with Sanjay Kumar reached a village Mahmooda of Khurhan Gram Panchayat of Alamnagar block of Madhepura dist at 2.15 pm by travelling 4 hours of 70km by bike. I was hungry bcz I have not found any thing in the way and I have started Madhepura at 8 am before brakefast. In the way of Gwalpada and Alamnagar we are not in situation to say after seeing the plot and land. I repeat only my previous slogan that, “each person has a seprate story and each village has its own history”. After reaching this tola, we asked to them about our relief distributions that was distributed by our local activists Kamleshwari ji. They are replying with honour. They have known that we are AID people. After seeing broken home we are asking to them for its solution. After some discussion I went inside the home. It was matter of much sorrow when I saw they are sleeping on wet surface and semiopen sky. They sleep previously too but this was more panic. As for example: see fig-9. This is home of Pramod chaudhary. When I search house lord then villagers told that Pramod has gone Panjab. His wife has gome her father’s house with her children. His brother is seprate and he is also gone panjab. His mother is alone and she lives to other home. Then it is great question who will construct his home? Who will help his family? Who will add his name in the list of govt efforts?
Other thing that this tola is consisted with more than 25 families. 20 families belong to a caste Markandeyand and Tiyar. They are most backward class like Dalits. But they are not SC. So they are not expecting that govt will help them to construct their home under Indira Aawas Yojana.
This is the story of so many tolas. So problem is big and a few solution for it.
Our Plan: as we have said winter kits distribution is near to over. I discussed with Balaji and finalised some steps. Priya Ranjan has visited this area last time and has also given some advice.
We have planned for rehablitation prog as livelihood and home plan. Then we are going for education and health activities.
On 10 feb we have done a meeting at Kamleshwari ji home of these families and share idea for constructing home in cluster. There are a lot of problems in it. They have their land in unequal ratio. There land are not in a line. If we can help them to construct home seprately, it will be much costly. After discussion they agree for cluster home construction. From this way we can save money for more walls and shade. After discussion with them we calculate cost with engineer and draw map. (It is attached herewith).
Figure 1: meeting with villagers
We have done a meeting with rickshaw pullars too who are pulling rickshaw on hire. We finalised 5 persons whome we shall give rickshaw on some social condition. They are
1. Lalo mandal, wife Hanso devi village sonbarsa. Caste Gangota ( most Backward like Dalit) He has 5 children.
2. Kashi Mandal wife deba devi. He has 6 children.
3. Mahil Mandal wife shobha devi. He has 2 children.
4. Nageshwar ram wife Dilo devi He has 8 children.
5. Vishnudeo Mandal wife Sumitra devi he has 8 children.
Two important thing that their some children have died too. Second, he did not tell their children name frequently. Any way according to our plan we are going on.
- We Have planned for contructing 20 homes as cluster of cost Rs. 3 lacks without furniture.i.e. door and window. If seprate home will construct, its cost became Rs. 20000/- home will be constuct with brick and roof will be of steel sheet. So each cluster cost Rs. 3 Lakhs + Rs. 25000/- misc and cordination cost.
- We are going to distribute 40 rickshaw. Each rickshaw has cost of Rs. 7500/- . so we have cost Rs. 3 lakhs + 15000/- misc and coordination cost.
- We shall start educational and health activities. We are doing meeting cum orientation to villagers so that they may live with high motivation.
- We are distributing skill tools with the help of goonj. Our target is 3000 families. Each tool cost may between Rs.1000-6000/-
So, one who wants to support, can support accordingly above. They can support with new cloths, sports goods for students, tools for farmers, labourers, barber, tailors etc.
For technical support and fund clarification, you can talk to Balaji.
I shall glad if you will ask any clarification
On behalf of AID TEAM
Dharmendra
Please see some situations below.
