Assam faced its usual yearly bout of severe floods, while Orissa is
facing a unprecedented flood fury that is threatening to break the
record of the Kosi floods in Bihar. In these cases, too, however, the
catastrophe is less natural and more man-made–specifically, made by
negligent Governments.

An NDTV report (September 03, 2008) observed about Assam that "the
misery this time is entirely manmade. At Kendukona in lower Assam,
embankments constructed in 2008, have already given away... While
predicting a natural disaster may still be difficult under Indian
conditions, there is no reason why a work of civil construction like
an embankment constructed as early as April should give away."

At Orissa, where embankments on the Mahanadi have given way at 61
places, it is a man-made tragedy. Analysing weekly data released by
the Central Water Commission, and daily data from the Orissa
government about water flow in the Mahanadi river and reservoir levels
in the Hirakud dam, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, an
NGO, has pointed to a total disconnect between information and action
by the government. It has highlighted how despite having a flood
control cushion, apathy in operating the dam—filling up the reservoir
to full capacity before the end of the monsoon, in violation of an
official expert committee recommendation—has led to an avoidable flood
disaster. As Orissa confronts the enormously destructive floods,
CPI(ML) will do all it can to aid the relief efforts, and will also
demand accountability about the role of Government negligence in
causing the floods.

Three Days Among the Flood-Affected

(As recounted by activists of AIPWA and AISA who visited the affected areas)

A 17-member team of AIPWA and AISA activists, led by Shashi Yadav,
National Secretary of AIPWA, Sangeeta Singh, National Council member
of AIPWA, and AISA National Vice President Abhyuday, left for Purnea
from Patna. Travelling in the jam-packed general bogey of the Capital
Express, we reached Katihar, and from there to Purnea.

At Purnea, AIPWA leaders Shashi Yadav and Sangeeta Singh along with
Madhavi Sarkar were let in the Government mega shivir (mega camp),
thanks to Madhavi Sarkar’s identity of being the slain MLA Comrade
Ajit Sarkar’s wife. But the officials prevented other members of the
team from entering, claiming that the entry of ’outsiders’ was
prohibited. When the DM was contacted on phone, he said ’visiting
hours’ were from 8-10 am only– as though the place were not a relief
camp but a jail or a hospital! We found that flood victims from all
over have come to the relief camp but are not being given room in the
camp. Officials are making announcements on mikes, telling people to
return home since the waters have receded.

We met around 50-60 people, many of them women and children, waiting
outside the camp. One youth among them said there was nothing to eat
in their village and they had somehow managed to reach the mega camp,
but here too they were being chased away. When we along with the local
CPI(ML) leaders took up the issue, some of them got registration in
the mega shivir.

At the mega shivir, we found that there were no special arrangements
for women and children. Women told us that when they went to the camp
doctors for their own and their children’s treatment, they were
scolded and told, "Just because you see a doctor doesn’t mean you have
to concoct an illness."

When a large number of flood victims including many women and children
from the Bela Refugee Colony, post Basmatiya Bazaar, in Araria
district, tried to enter the Purnea Maranga mega shivir, they were
stopped at the gates and spent two days on the streets, depending on
the charity of local people. We spoke to Dilip Chandra Das, Kajoli
Das, Vibhendra Chandra Das, and Dayal Varma from among these people
and heard that eventually tired of being hungry, they broke the bamboo
barricades and entered the mega camp, but were beaten up and thrown
out by police and officials. We took up their case with the DDC, who
told us that these people were from Araria and so we cannot provide
for them. We insisted that now that these people are here, and in dire
need of help, the officials cannot refuse to feed them on any
bureaucratic pretext. As this stand-off continued, JD(U) leader and
Chairperson of the State Women’s Commission, Lacy Singh along with
another JD(U) goon Babbu Jha came up and began abusing and threatening
us. They boasted that they could get us lathicharged or even shot at,
and in fact Babbu Jha even boasted that he was the biggest local
goonda. These abusive threats to flood victims and flood relief
activists by representatives of the ruling party were captured on
videotape by students. We stood our ground and challenged the police
to do whatever lathicharge or firing they liked–we would not budge as
long as there were hungry flood victims who were being denied relief.
Eventually the DM intervened and ordered the administration to feed
those people. But we heard that later, after we left, those people
were once again chased away.

At Purnea, we met Sunita from Forbesganj whose foetus died in the womb
itself due to negligence of doctors at Sadar Hospital. Yet, the
hospital refused to perform the operation to clean out her womb.
Writhing in pain she was taken to a private nursing home, where the
foetus was removed and the woman’s life saved. The Government has
announced relief of Rs. 10, 000 to anyone giving birth to a child
(Rs.11,000 in case of a girl child) – had this amount been given to
Sunita, she could have paid off her hospital bills. As it is, the
hospital refused to let her leave till she paid her bills. So having
lost her home and also her child, a traumatised Sunita was further
forced to face the callousness of both the Government and the private
health system. She could leave the hospital only when local people
came together to collect funds, even in a time of their own
misfortune, and helped her to pay off the bills. Many other women and
children have needlessly died due to lack of medical care.

Next, we left for Murliganj, which entailed an 8-hour-long journey by
train, tempo, on foot and by boats, accompanied by Com.Bharat Bhushan.
The people we met there told us we were the only team to have come to
check on their fate. They warmly recalled the role of Bharat Bhushan
and other party comrades in the first days of flooding. We heard many
narratives of people’s courage in helping each other to survive the
flood. People used electricity wires to get 60 people across the
flooded water to safety. They said no Government aid or relief had
reached them – not even food, though foodgrains are rotting in the FCI
godown nearby.

We met Ashok Mandal of Murliganj who told us that around 50 people of
two wards of Jorgama panchayat are missing. There is no provision of
medical care though diarrhoea cases abound. Mahendra Bharti, a CPI
comrade who is a member of the Zila Parishad too met us and warmly
appreciated the role of our party comrades in the rescue and relief
work. He too said we would now have to wage struggles for
rehabilitation of people – the Government machinery was going to
remain as callous as ever.