First they prayed for rains, now they watch people being washed away

First they prayed for rains, now they watch people being washed away
ROHIT BHAN

THAMNA (ANAND DISTRICT), JULY 17: For about a month now, Kokilaben's family along with 1,000 others in Thamna had prayed relentlessly to please the rain gods. The prayers were answered, but the rain soon turned into a deluge. Now Thamna grieves the death of 11 villagers who lost their lives in the flash floods.

As bodies of nine persons were fished out from the overflowing Shedhi river on Sunday, wails cut through the village ambience. Having lost her husband Rameshbhai, Kokilaben is huddled in one corner of her ramshackle house along with her two minor sons as she tries to come to terms with the tragedy.

Rameshbhai was among the 11 villagers who were swept away by the strong currents of the Shedhi when the tractor on which they were travelling overturned on a flooded culvert near Khejalpur village on Friday. Two persons are still missing. The villagers were going to the fields in nearby Khejalpur village.

Most of the families here are engaged in contract labour on agricultural fields. ``What will happen to us? My father was the only earning member in the family. With him gone, it is all over for us,'' says 12-year-old Ramesh, whose father Mangubhai Parmar was among the victims.

The floods come soon after the drought-like conditions which had hit the village since the residents are dependent on agriculture for a living. `` We never knew that our prayers will add to our miseries. What will our family do with the irrigated lands? There is nobody to work,'' says Chaturbhai Christi who lost both his sons, Praveen and Ramesh.

There were, however, some lucky ones who clung on to trees for more than four hours and survived. ``When I fell into the water, my whole body became numb. I was being swept away when I managed to catch hold of a tree and clung on,'' says Maheshbhai, now recuperating at the Dakor hospital. He, along with nine others, was rescued.

Mahesh and Johnbhai Christi also helped save lives as they clung on to trees.

Those who were saved were grateful to the villagers of Khejalpur.``We had been clinging to the trees for about four hours, with no official help at hand. The village boys arrived and took us out one by one,'' says Mooljibhai Rohit.

Teenagers from the village tied ropes around their waists and waded through the fast currents to reach out to the victims. ``We knew it was risky but we had no option. The water level was increasing and the official agencies were taking long. We had to act,'' says Ramesh Harijan, one of the rescuers.

RAJKOT:Rajkot, Amreli and Porbandar continue to suffer as the catchment areas of the major dams supplying water to these districts have not received substantial rain.

An official from the Jamnagar Municipal Corporation said the three dams therehad enough water for the next seven months. In Junagadh city, the main dam overflowed a fortnight ago.

Rajkot, however, is still suffering. Despite the five-inch rainfall during the past three days, the dams can supply water only for the next two months. Around 40 to 50 lakh gallons of water is lifted each day from the bores to maintain the alternate day supply.

The state government has stopped relief works all over Saurashtra, except in Amreli district which has received very little rain. In Porbandar also, the rain has been insufficient, so the water shortage persists. In Rajkot district, water supply through tankers is now being maintained only in 41 villages.