A River In Flood
Last year I was in Calcutta during summer As the rainy season drew near, it started raining heavily for many days on end. So the water level in the river Ganga began to rise and soon it was in flood Soon the water began to overflow the banks. When we heard of the flood, we, under the organization of a voluntary social welfare society 'Help', planned to visit the flooded villages.
It was terrible There was water everywhere The current was strong Men and animals struggled between life and death Many things were seen floating in the water Live snakes were seen being washed away Here and there we could see the carcasses on the surface of water Water seemed to be devouring all Some villagers climbed up the trees to save their lives but they had nothing to eat or drink Their condition was very miserable.
We tried hard and threw some packets of food from the airplane and even saved some people. The flood caused great havoc Many houses collapsed and many people lost their homes A large number of trees were uprooted. Traffic remained dislocated for weeks together. Crops were completely destroyed. As the means of communication were all underwater, therefore access was possible only by boat. Many people met a watery grave.
After three days, the flood began to subside. The people felt relieved. The government also rose to the occasion and began to help the people. Loans were given to the victims for building their houses and purchasing cattle. Many rich people donated large sums of money.
The homeless were given temporary accommodation in schools, dharmshalas, etc. As an epidemic was feared, preventive measures were taken and people were inoculated against cholera. The victims could start a normal life again after two or three months. But they could never have forgotten these horrible experiences which, for the time being, completely checked the normal flow of life.
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