Assam flood survivor's home in Sivasagar underwater for 20 days
Twenty days after she "escaped" her home with her two minor daughters, Nasiman Zaman returned on Sunday to find ankle-deep water still inside the house, along with a damaged wedding photo album, a shattered dinner set that had belonged to her late mother, and her daughters' toppled study tables with their belongings destroyed.
With water still standing in her home, Zaman said she remained uncertain about when her family could return to live there, and was more concerned about whether authorities could assure them the devastation would not recur when rains fall again.
"Our house is on the ancestral land of my husband's family. My brother-in-law's house is next to ours, and besides his is the house of their cousin. All our houses have been inundated, with some facing worse situation than us even," Zaman told PTI.
Water was four feet high and had risen over the lower sill of the window on the ground floor of her two-storeyed house when she left with her two daughters around 6 p.m. on July 21, aided by four workers she had engaged that day to move household goods to the under-construction upper floor.
"My husband, who is a government employee, was away on official work in Guwahati. Water started entering the house around noon, and within six hours, it was nearly at my chest level. It was getting dark, power had been cut off, and we somehow managed to come out," Zaman said, recalling the ordeal.
Since then, the family has been staying at her husband's sister's residence elsewhere in the town, along with her brother-in-law's family and a sister-in-law's family.
Among the items she managed to save were a few electronic gadgets, some clothes, ornaments and important documents. The rest of the household goods, including a sofa set, beds, almirahs and utensils, were damaged by the water, she said.
"My husband and I went to see the house today, and found ankle-level water still. The study tables of our girls have been toppled and all their supplies destroyed. The album with our wedding memories has been destroyed. Every small thing that made the house our 'home' has been damaged," Zaman said.
"We are about 15 people now living under one roof. We are among the luckier ones as we have our own family to stay with. But we have to go back to our own place. My daughters are scared to return, and so am I. What will happen when it rains again?" she said.
According to Zaman, water from the Nazira end, one of the worst-hit areas in the flood, entered their locality near the Circuit House before flowing into the already swollen Dorika river, which caused nearby areas to flood.
"I am no expert, but as a resident of the area, I can understand that there is a problem of drainage. Natural culverts and outlets have narrowed due to road and bridge constructions. Water is being pumped out, but it is not adequate," she said.
Zaman said rebuilding her home would be a challenge, but that was not her primary concern. "That we are safe is our biggest blessing. Our daughters will also come to terms with the loss, and we can rebuild our home and memories again.
But we need the assurance that such havoc won't be unleashed again. Even after 20 days, water is stagnant in our area, a locality which has never seen floods. We can't abandon our homes nor can we live there safely," she said.
Zaman, along with her family and others in the area, said they were now looking to the authorities for reassurance of protection and a lasting solution so they could begin rebuilding their lives.
