For over 70 families displaced by the Yamuna floods, the makeshift tents along the Delhi-Meerut Expressway near Akshardham, may be their temporary abodes away from mud, broken essentials and dampness all around, back at their submerged homes, they are battling hardships here too as they sleep on wet floor without basic facilities of life.
Thousands of people live in such temporary shelters as their own homes, no matter small ,have been severely impacted by the flooding of Yamuna river at several places, with belongings they collected from hard earned money mired in mud. Sitting outside a tarpaulin tent, an elderly woman wondered where will the poor go. "It is either demolition, or rain, and now the flood. We hardly earn Rs 300 to 400 a day by cleaning Delhi's garbage. Someone is a ragpicker, some clean drains, some sell flowers, where will we go now?" she asked.
The 6x8 makeshift camp stretches along the edge of the expressway, which has been transformed into a "home" for families who recently had to be evacuated from their jhuggis or kuccha house near by the Yamuna floodplains.
Inside one such tent, a small stove sits precariously on bricks. A few steel plates and a blackened pan complete the kitchen. A string runs across the tent where damp clothes hang."Clothes are not drying, as it rains everyday. Only a couple of clothes are left, and that's what we wear," said Kamlesh Kumar, who was trying to make his son sleep on his lap.For Meena Kumari, a mother of three, arranging life in such limited space is a daily struggle.
"At night, when one child turns in their sleep, the other wakes up too. We cook outside, but if it rains, everything gets wet. But this tent is all we have left after the water swallowed our dreams and jhuggi," she said.In the evenings, groups of children chase each other behind tents with families trying to remain alert so the kids do not go near the Yamuna or to the roadside."For parents, our children's play carries constant fear. The camp runs parallel to the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, where heavy trucks and speeding cars whiz past at all hours," Harish said.
Education has been another casualty as most children spend their days loitering in the camp or helping parents with small chores.
As the sun sets, women in the camp gather around open stoves, preparing lentils and rice with whatever rations they have received from relief workers."The humid Delhi nights makes sleeping difficult, and the constant noise of vehicles on the expressway always add to the unease," Ram Kumar, who used to sell flowers near a temple said.
"The rainwater sometime leaks inside, mosquitoes bite, and every sound outside makes us alert. We cannot even lock our tents. We live with one eye open," Kumar said.Despite the hardships, the camp displays a quiet resilience. Families share food when one runs out of rations. A flower-seller has started arranging small garlands near the tents, hoping to earn from passersby."There is no choice. We cannot stop working. If we stop, we will not eat," Sita Ram said.
The Yamuna river level was recorded at 206.47 metres at the Old Railway Bridge (ORB) on Saturday coming down from the 207 metres mark after several days, officials said.Tents have been setup on Delhi-Meerut Expressway, Mayur Vihar, Kashmere Gate and nearby areas to temporarily accommodate people living in low lying areas near the river.
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