ECHO flood relief reaches the most vulnerable in Assam

Sangita Gorh, a mother of two young children Suraj and Lucky is a resident Sindura village under the Cachar District of Assam. Last year she lost her husband due to liver disease. After the death of her husband, she took charge of the family and her aged mother-in-law also who also stays with them. She works as a tea pucker at Sindura tea estate for the sustenance of the family.

“We moved to a high land as the water level of Sindura river start rising suddenly. There was continuous rain. Flood water entered our house and washed away the food stocks, utensils and other household items.”

Sangita and members of her clan moved to high land to protect their families from flood water. The mark of flood level is quite visible. The river Sindura, a perennial one is passing through Sindura village. The villagers primarily belong to the Adivasi community, and they work in Sindura Tea Estate as daily wage labourers. The economic condition of tea workers and their dependents is very pathetic.

Keeping this background in consideration, Sindura village was identified and included in the ECHO-supported “Humanitarian Assistance to Vulnerable and Excluded Communities impacted by Flooding, Assam.”

Under the project, 50 most vulnerable families were identified with the support of the Village Disaster Management Committee (VDMC). The family includes a Person with Disability (PwD), pregnant and lactating mother, women headed household. These families were provided hygiene kit which include a 16-litre bucket with lid, a 1-litre plastic mug, 3-ply cotton reusable masks, a sanitary pad, antiseptic lotion, washing powder, washing soap, bathing soap, toothbrush and paste.

The distribution was done on 27^th of July 2022 at Sindura Tea Estate. The VDMC members supported the project team in the identification of project participants, site selection and crowd management. The distribution was planned in advance keeping in consideration the accessibility and safety issues. The aged and lactating mothers were assisted by project volunteers. Sitting arrangement was done for the convenience of each beneficiary.

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