JOIN USWater, water everywhere, but...: One-litre water bottles sell for Rs 100 in flood-hit Silchar
Drinking water has become costlier than petrol in Silchar town in South Assam, still grappling with the devastating flood.
With no drinking water since the serious flood inundated his house at Sonai Road in Silchar town on June 20, Biju Das was left with no option but to buy two bottles of one-litre drinking water at Rs. 110 each on Friday.
"By Thursday, the water we had in storage was exhausted. There has been no electricity since Monday and the inverter was under water. So it was not possible to water. It was not possible to go out due to strong water currents. On Friday, I walked about one kilometre in waist-deep flood water to buy drinking water. A bottle of one-litre drinking water, which is normally sold at Rs. 20 is being sold at Rs. 100 and even in some places at Rs. 150. I had no option but to buy two bottles," Das, a high school teacher told DH over the phone on Saturday.
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"People have no option as the administration is still unable to reach many lanes in Silchar due to water and strong currents," he said.
The level of flood water in the worst affected Silchar started receding on Friday but there was waist-deep water in many localities including in its adjoining areas even on Saturday.
Kritiman Roy, a resident of Ulashpur, another badly affected area, said the water level was receding but managing drinking water was still a big problem. "The administration has not been able to reach out to many localities with water. They should have brought in more boats," Roy, a civil engineer, who works in an MNC in Pune, told DH. "Some people are now trying to harvest rainwater for use. But that carries the threat of waterborne disease, if not filtered properly," he said.
Heavy rains on the hills of adjoining Meghalaya and Mizoram swelled the water level in the Barak river causing a breach in an embankment. This made the flood situation in Silchar and adjoining areas in Cachar district grim since June 20.
Videos shared on social media showed people dangerously standing in waist-deep flood water even on Saturday for water bottles and food items being airdropped by IAF helicopters in Silchar. "The IAF is finding it difficult as there is no dry place to drop the food items," said an official in Cachar district administration. The NDRF personnel also continued their rescue efforts while the administration stepped up efforts to distribute drinking water and food items.
Subhadip Dutta, a resident of Tarapur near Silchar railway station, said water started receding in his area but electricity was not restored yet as the power transformer was still under water.
Death toll due to floods and landslides in Assam reached 117 on Friday, of which 21 were in Cachar district. Over 2.8 lakh people got affected due to floods in Silchar and nearby areas. The daily flood bulletin issued by Assam State Disaster Management Authority on Friday said over three lakh people remained affected by flood in 28 districts in Assam.