Fayaz Bukhari
Aarigatnoo, (Kulgam) Sept 4: One year has elapsed since Aarigatnoo village in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, the first village, was ravaged by last year deluge on September 4, but fear still haunts them. The floods washed away around 150 houses, damaged the others and snatched livelihood of majority of the people.
Majority of the villagers live in one room sheds constructed by various Non-Governmental Organizations and Religious bodies. Half of the 4, 000 population of the village lives in these 130 temporary tin sheds where life is very hard.
Ghulam Hassan’s six member family lives in one such shed that was constructed in October last year by an NGO. “It is difficult to live here in winter and summer. It is very hot inside and during the day we mostly live under open sky. We can’t even make new constructions as village is no longer safe”, he said.
Mohammad Yusuf Wani, 65, is living in a small shed which he constructed on his own from the debris of his three story house. “My three story house, cow shed, shop and grainery was washed away. I was paid Rs one lakh by the Centre and Rs 75,000 by the State Government. But it doesn’t suffice as I have lost my livelihood as well”, he said.
Wani’s half an acre of agriculture land was washed away in floods. Major portion of the agriculture and horticulture land in the village is filled with gravel and boulders. The apple, walnut orchards have been destroyed and so has been the paddy fields.
Amid all these difficulties faced by people, fear of floods runs deep here. The Vaishaw stream that destroyed their houses and snatched their livelihood last year still haunts them as the breach restoration work being done is temporary.
Sayed Akbar Khan, a village elder, says that with slight downpour there is panic in the village. “The breach caused by last year’s floods in Vaishaw stream at Kutbal, a kilometer upstream the village, has not been plugged yet. It is being constructed of gravel and sand which makes it unsafe as water can seep in any time and breach it”, he said.
“In March, April and May this year, majority of the villagers used to flee the village as rains posed threat to their lives and livelihood. The rising waters in Vaishaw stream during rains is like a hanging sword for us. Government is plugging the breach caused by last year’s floods but it is not safe. It can’t withstand the roaring Vaishaw stream during rains. We need a concrete bund that can save the village from any future fury”, said Khan.
However, Minister for Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC), Sukhnandhan Kumar, told Excelsior that the bund that is being constructed at Kutbal is part of temporary restoration work. “We have submitted four projects for permanent restoration works on Vaishaw stream to the Centre. We hope the projects will be through so that we can do permanent restoration works”, he added.
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