Hundreds without shelter in Dibrugarh

DIBRUGARH: With not enough relief camps and their dwelling huts having been inundated by the surging waters of the Brahmaputra, hundreds of flood-affected people in Dibrugarh district have been forced to live under the open skies.

The eight flood relief camps set up in the district are not enough to accommodate the huge number of flood-affected people, forcing them to live under the open skies.

With over 100 villages submerged and almost 65,000 people affected in the district, the authorities have been struggling to provide a roof to the displaced people.

"We have been living on the embankment without a roof over our head for a week now. There are several hundred families living on the embankment like us. The officials have not provided us a single piece of tarpaulin sheet to cover our heads. Our houses have been submerged in water. Until the water recedes, we cannot return to our homes," said Kunjalata Pegu, a Lezai Miripathar village resident.

Nilakanta Hazarika, a resident of deluge-hit Gorudhoria village, said, "Our family of eight has taken shelter in the dyke since Friday. Since the relief camp was full of inmates, we decided to shift to the top of the embankment. Here we are living under the open skies. With no power supply, no shelter and non-stop rain, our life has become very miserable. We are just waiting for the water to recede so that we can return home."

Parag Dutta, a youth BJP leader from Dibrugarh, said, "There is a shortage of flood relief camps - there were only six such camps till Monday. Two more camps were opened today. Many families from Kutuha, Gorudhoria and Kalakhowa are living on river embankments under the open skies. Some of the families are using plastic sheets as roofs but most even don't have them."