himachal-s-seraj-grapples-with-worst-ever-devastation

People in the remote Seraj valley in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh are grappling with the worst-ever devastation in the aftermath of flash floods followed by cloudbursts at 14 places on the intervening night of June 30 and July 1, a night that snatched away lives and lifelines in no time.

 

The hill folks, who are already living a tough life in this interior pocket of Mandi district, have been virtually left with nothing; their homes, land, livelihoods, and even the development seen over the past decades, especially under former Chief Minister and six-time MLA Jai Ram Thakur, who has represented the Seraj Assembly constituency (earlier known as Chachiot).

 

While there have been miraculous survivors of the calamity in Seraj valley — including a young girl, Tanuja, who came out of chest-deep muck after struggling for hours — the stories of loss of lives are heartrending. The worst calamity in Seraj so far has left 15 dead and 27 persons missing. Deji village, ahead of Thunag, is the worst affected, with 11 persons missing.

 

Kanta Devi, 32, was washed away along with her three daughters — the eldest just 11 years old, while her husband, a tailor, was away in his native place. Her parents, who lived half a km uphill from her house, were saved as they noticed gushing waters approaching and shifted to a nearby safer building on the fateful night. They found out about their daughter and grandchildren going missing the next morning, when some villagers came searching for Kanta Devi and her daughter.

 

 

“It was scary. Maybe my sister couldn’t take her three daughters out in time and they were all swept away,” said Kanta Devi’s younger sister, Mannu. A postgraduate in History, Mannu finds it extremely tough to imagine the area returning to normal anytime soon. “It will take a lot of time now. The road connectivity to the villages scattered across the valley, village paths, and other signs of development like power, water supply schemes, phone towers, and school buildings — everything is gone in a single stroke. Even our elders, some of whom are in their late 80s, say they’ve never seen such a calamity in their lifetime,” she said.

 

In Parvada Panchayat of Gohar in Seraj, 11-month-old Nikita has been orphaned at this tender age in the calamity — a truth she doesn’t even know. Both her parents and grandmother are missing, and there’s little hope they are alive. The three were swept away by furious waters while trying to divert the flow away from their home. Nikita, left sleeping in a room, was later found alive in the debris by villagers searching for a safer location for themselves.

 

While one of Nikita’s paternal aunts (bua) has committed to adopt her, the local administration has opened a bank account in Nikita’s name to receive financial help for the orphaned child as she grows.

 

“Everything has vanished,” said Mukesh Kumar, 35, a farmer who lost his wife, two children (a son and a daughter), and mother. Incidentally, Mukesh was not at home that tragic night — when the flash floods swept everything away. His 4 bighas of land were too washed away. Mukesh returned home on foot, walking 5–6 kilometres the next morning, as the road link was snapped. He was shocked to see only boulders, water, and muck at the site where his home had stood just the previous night.

 

Thunag, Lamba Thach, Janjheli, and Bagsiad areas in Seraj valley have suffered major devastation. Boulders and muck are strewn all over, dry nullahs are now overflowing with water, and landslides still continue. Road connectivity is gone in patches, and power, phone connectivity, and water supply systems are damaged.

 

“There is no road link to Pakhrail Panchayat now. We have to walk 6–7 km to reach Thunag just to charge our phones and power banks,” said Achhar Singh from Rukchui village.

 

The badly damaged houses give a deserted and scary look to the area, which has been pushed back several years in terms of development. Seraj houses a majority of farmers, orchardists, skilled workers, a few government employees, and some in other occupations. Farmers are the worst affected as most of them lost their agricultural and horticultural land in the floods, apart from homes, and thus virtually all sources of livelihood.

 

Some had recently planted high-density apple orchards by taking loans from a state-run bank, all of which have now been washed away.

 

“The government should at least restore road links soon so that the remaining apple crop can be taken out for marketing in the upcoming season,” said Virender Thakur, a farmer from Pakhrail.

 

Even though the search for missing persons has yielded little success so far, the state government’s rescue, relief, and rehabilitation efforts, with help from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), local police, and even the Army, have given some solace to people in distress.

 

The district administration also hired porters and mules to distribute ration and other relief material to people stranded in completely cut-off areas of Seraj valley. The administration has also provided temporary shelter.

 

“It is a tough situation, but our rescue and rehabilitation teams did what was needed by immediately swinging into action. The government is doing everything possible to help the people in Seraj,” said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. He personally visited the valley twice — first to oversee rescue operations, and later for a three-day visit to assess the damage, meet people to listen to their grievances, and reassure them of government support in their hour of need.

 

Sukhu, while visiting Thunag with former BJP CM and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, highlighted that most people have lost their land in the flash floods and don’t even have a place to rebuild their homes. “I urge BJP leaders in the state to get permission from the Centre to rehabilitate the affected people of Seraj on forest land,” the CM said. He also advised people not to re-construct houses near nullahs or khadds for their own safety.

 

On the other hand, Jai Ram Thakur, who has been constantly visiting the flood-hit areas of his constituency, is helping affected people with immediate needs.

 

“Apna toh jeena marna inhi logon ke saath hai. I will do whatever I can for them in this hour of need to provide relief and rehabilitation,” he said, adding that it was a serious situation that cultivable land of people has been washed away in flash floods. He also asked the government to address gaps in relief and rehabilitation work in the area. His wife, Dr. Sadhna Thakur, is accompanying him to villages to share the pain of the people.

 

Mandi MP and celebrity Kangana Ranaut also made a brief visit to the Seraj area only after media reports criticised her absence. However, her visit drew public criticism due to her casual remarks about her role during and after the calamity.