Sabeena,
her husband and four children have lived on the same plot of land in
the slum area of Iqbal Nagar for over 17 years. The land is not legally
theirs and if they leave they risk someone else taking it.
Afraid
of becoming homeless, they have been sheltering in the remains of their
house, protecting themselves from the rain with plastic sheets.
Millions Affected
Around 6 million people were affected by the floods that engulfed much
of western and central India. Heavy monsoon rains in Gujarat, Andhra
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh and Orissa killed hundreds of people
and forced thousands from their homes.
The exceptionally high rainfall caused rivers to overflow and dams to burst, swamping villages, cities and agricultural land.
In
Surat around 80% of the city was flooded, displacing 84,000 people from
their homes. Slum dwellers were worst-affected as they live on the
river’s edge with very little protection from the surging water.
As flood waters rose to 20 feet, parts of the city were cut off for many days and nearby villages were completely destroyed.
Health Risks
Much of the water has now receded but stagnant pools remain. Streams
have been contaminated and sanitation facilities destroyed. In many
areas raw sewage runs through the wreckage of people’s homes.
There
has been an inevitable impact upon people’s health. Hundreds of people
in Gujarat were hospitalised after an outbreak of a rare viral fever.
Devastation
As water levels drop, families such as Sabeena’s are returning home to
find their houses devastated. Sabeena’s priority is to try and rebuild
her home, however even before the floods the family struggled to
survive.
Sabeena’s
husband, Firoz, used to be an auto-rickshaw driver but the floods swept
away all the rickshaws leaving him without work or income. Although the
family have received food and relief items to see them through the
crisis, they cannot afford to rebuild their home.
New Homes
Islamic Relief (IR) and its local partners are preparing to rebuild 100
houses in Surat, including the Randher Causeway area where Sabeena and
her family live.
IR has responded to many emergencies in India in the past, and also
runs an Orphan Sponsorship Programme in the country. During the
Ramadhan and Qurbani seasons Islamic Relief distributes food parcels.
This Ramadhan, 50,000 people in Gujarat and other parts of India
received food parcels.