Shravasti villagers worst-hit by floods in UP

SHRAVASTI: A day after flood water of Rapti receded, Ramnagra village in Shravasti, on Thursday, had tell-tale signs of worst flood to have struck it in recent years more than visible. At least 20 houses and a school building has been washed away in last three days.
Villagers point out to the place, now submerged, where the school building with classrooms, storeroom and toilets once stood.It's now water all over. "If flood can wash away the concrete building it will wipe out our homes in a trice," said Ghanshyam, in mud-wraggled clothes, trying to retrieve whatever little he could from his ruined hut.
The health department team at the place on Thursday which had come to administer medicine to those who caught fever or cold, said it was for the last three days that the alert was being issued to the villagers to vacate the village but people did not pay the heed.
However, for villagers it was the emotional upheavel more than the material loss. Most of them had no clue where to go though they said they would return to the village once normalcy returns.
On the day, there were tractors lined up on the approach road to the village, which too had caved in in last two days. "It was three days back in the night that water rose till our shoulders and today when it receded we could see what all has village lost, the road, the schools and huts and houses," said Sandeep Pathak, whose lost his `pucca' house.
People had brought out their belongings, double beds, dressing tables, chairs, almirahs, cots and sofa sets on to the road to be loaded on tractors. Most of them felt sorry for not being able to take along their animals and cattle. "We will either take them walking to some other village or leave with someone who can take care of them for the time being," said Indramani Kant.
Ramnagra, in Shravasti, is one of the worst hit villages in the district where swelled up Rapti has virtually robbed villagers of all their earnigs and makings so far. Shravasti's Mohnapur village was lost completely in the 2014 flood, now it's Ramnagra and Naraiyanapur under threat.
The connect between Ramnagra and Naraiyanapur has been lost as the road has been washed away. "Ramnagra is without any exit left," said Hansraj Mishra. With half of the village washed away, as Rapti could be seen flowing at the back of the village, several people decided to evacuate the village on Thursday but there were still few like Shivdhari Mishra who has decided to stay back.
"In the last few days people who could not sleep in their own houses shared our house," he said adding that he would go when flood reaches the front of the village.
At least 8 to 9 beegha agricultural land got submerged in the village. Paddy fields lie rotten completely.
People denied any relief from state government has reached them in the last one week apart from a food packet which had four pooris and mashed potatoes. "It was not enough for a family of 10 or more," said one of the villagers.
In Bhinga, Shravasti, it's the same story for dozen odd villages. Laxmannagar, Khajuajhunjhunia have people living on roads. A road-side bridge in Laxmannagar got washed away three days back. Villagers denied there is any rice, wheat, potato, gur, match box, candles or tarpaulin being given to them as relief in the last few days of travails that they have lived by. Swabharam said, "A boy even died as he got washed away but there is no relief coming."
Rapti swells up every year but this time, the water level was more than the previous years. In Dhulaiya, a village ahead of Ramnagra, paddy fields filled up with silt could be seen on both sides of the road. "We will not get compensation for it we know. It's same almost every year and government never gives us any compensation," said Pramod, a village lad.
He said he has lived through hell in the last five days while it rained incessantly and water level of the river rose steadily. "We lived on the roof with our families. Took shelter in each other's roof to protect ourselves. There was no food, no water and it was raining endlessly"
Why state government does not ask Nepal to not release the excess water all in one go, said one of the villager.
"We stopped eating because we were tensed where would we go for nature's call," said a woman. Villagers also complained that nobody ever came to enquire about the state of things.