New Delhi, Sep 5 (PTI) - As the blaring horn of a food truck signals its arrival, a sense of urgency electrifies the air in Delhi’s flood relief camps. Children and women hurry to form a queue to receive meals, part of the strained yet essential support for families displaced by the rising Yamuna. The camp's atmosphere is a stark reminder of survival, with makeshift clotheslines and scattered remnants of belongings salvaged from floodwaters dotting the landscape.
Shanti, residing in Yamuna Khadar, articulates the struggle of camp life, highlighting a nightly battle against mosquitoes and limited food options dominated by rice. "For those suffering from fever, surviving on just rice is challenging," she expresses.
Meanwhile, Ram Kishan, a farmer, faces an economic calamity; the floods have submerged his fields, wiping out the entire harvest his family relied upon. "All my fields have gone under water. This year's entire harvest is gone, and my family completely depended on it," he laments.
Through the pathways of Mayur Vihar Phase I relief camp, a narrative of endurance unfolds as people cling to whatever belongings they managed to save. The trials of camp life take on varied forms, as seen with Poonam, tending to her six-month-old baby. "Living under the open sky with a small child is very challenging. There's no privacy or comfort, and we constantly worry about the baby's health," she confides.
Everyday life attempts to resume along the roadsides with utensils, mattresses, and wooden cots laid out. Children engage in play nearby as elderly men gather to discuss their shared losses.
For Rajesh, another resident of Yamuna Khadar, the floods have obliterated his means of recovery. "My house is still underwater, and most belongings are gone. After borrowing money for repairs last year, it feels devastating to have everything washed away again. I don't know how I will repay the debt," he voices, concern evident in his tone.
The only semblance of relief comes as the Yamuna river's water level at Delhi's Old Railway Bridge shows a slight recession, measured at 207.31 meters on Friday morning, dipping from the season's high of 207.48 meters recorded the previous day.
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