Uttarakhand Diary

As you leave the main market of uttarkashi it is evidently silent. You can hardly find people ...it seems more like a ghost town....which is so different from what i have experienced in the past when i was here to do my basic course in 2009. The recent floods in uttarakhand has left most stunned and angry. beyond the pilgrimage spots the tragedy has a lot of ramifications for locals, the most important being loss of livelihood. 

Yesterday myself and couple of others who are mountaineers and also some NGO staff from Sri Bhuvaneshwari Mahila Ashram (SBMA) and Tata Relief Trust we went to assess the situation in some remote villages in the upper reaches of Maneri. These villages have lost their homes and livelihood- their agri land. 

A Rapid assessment by SBMA shows that Uttarkashi has 120 villages which have been completely affected. There are no roads for their connectivity to mainland, no electricity and above all no ration to even cook food. This is the third monsoon disaster since 2010 in this region mainly Uttarkashi. After the first two disaster government had identified 250 villages in this region as being in the dangerous zone but still did not take any action in terms of relocating them or doing any thing. 

Currently, Tata Relief Trust has tied up with SBMA and adopted six villages New Didsari, Didsari, Pilang, Jadaou, Bayana and Shyaba. In all there are are a total of approximately 400 families who will be provided relief. 

Yesterday, along with Yash and Guneet ( who were just back from their Mt Thelu expedition two days ago after walking for about 60 kms in 2 and a half days rescuing tourists and pilgrims on their way -- carrying their bags apart from their own 30 kg or more backpacks; we joined the team of SBMA and Tata Relief Trust went to a village called New Didsari which is in a pathetic situation. 

These 400 families are in a helpless situation having lost everything and no relief in site. They have managed to get few packets of biscuits in the name of food. Children have not been used to eating biscuits but, in the absence of solid food have been feasting on biscuits and most kids in New Didsari that we visited had stomach issues such as pain and diarreah and fever. He is no medical aid that has reached these villages yet. 

The villagers are sad, disappointed and angry. Didsari  and the restvof the villages are remote . Didsari is above Maneri on the opposite side. The  access bridge on baghirathi river to their village has broken down, their houses and agri lands washed away and the villagers have shifted to a makeshift accommodation in the school above. In the absence of administration doing anything for the villagers, the villagers themselves have rebuilt some access paths to their village. 

The other  villages are even farther. The only way to get to these villagers is by trekking treacherous mountainous routes.  Pilang is still facing problems with the mountain landslide. Currently access to this village has become extremely difficult . One has not been to get to the villagers. 

"We have lost everything" says Rajeshree Surendra, from New Didsari whose husband is in ITBP posted in Leh. Tata Relief along with SBMA will be providing tents, ration such as rice, dal, tea, salt, sugar, candles, matches, oil, blankets and medicines. Villagers are asking of very basic materials. 

The worst for the villages and for NGOs working on relief operations is how does one reach the relief material to these villages. The only way it can be done is by air dropping. Permission is being sort from the administration to allot helicopters ASAP to air drop relief materials in these villages. Villagers who I spoke to have lost hope in the government and administration and are not even expecting anything from them. Their hopes are hinging on people like Bachinderi Pal and NGOs. They feel atleast that they will get some relief.

Overall scenario in Uttarkashi is devastating and how. Thousands of buildings and homes, bridges and roads have been destroyed in the tragedy. The roads have caved in every 25 mts and the parts of roads that look one can see visible cracks. 

Another aspect of the human tragedy is that the floods have destroyed not just the farmland but also the irrigation system in the mountains, including the network of canals and irrigation channels. The canals are gone, the irrigation system is gone.. this has compounded the loss for the villagers. Potato which is their mainstay agricultural cash crop is supposed to be harvested next one month and villagers have lost this source of income as well. 

The incessant rains that hit the state over three days from June 14, leading to flash floods and cloudbursts, have led to hundreds of deaths and hundreds others are missing. Armed forces , Air Force and ITBP are still on duty trying to locate people and rescuing the ones still stranded. In the last two days with the weather smiling upon Uttarakhnd with clear skies rescue operations have been good. 

Sorties have been flying to and for nonstop.  

It is understood that the state earns around Rs.2500 crore year through tourism. Trekking companies have had to cancel all their treks and expeditions which is a huge loss. One company apparently which does treks in the Nandadevi and Joshimat area has suffered a loss of Rs 10 lac due to cancellation of trips. Another local company that I spoke Ito in Uttarkashi is currently facing a loss of Rs 2 lakhs from having cancelled one expedition.