Johanna, Harmit, Lobzang and I decided to make a trip from Palampur in Himachal Pradesh to Leh-Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir. Our goal was to visit Leh and see for ourselves what damage the cloudburst had done to the area; what kind of recovery and reconstruction efforts were underway; and to find out what we could do to help the community.
We arrived in Leh on the morning of October 7th. Stepping off the plane was like walking into another world – the dry air hits you like a wall after the humidity of Delhi. Sitting on a plain surrounded by the Himalayan mountains, many of which were snow –capped at this time of year, Leh’s geography is vulnerable to widespread damage from the cloudburst.
We took a taxi to the Padma Guest House, where we rested for the first couple of days. The hotel owner gave us a lot of insight into the community response to the cloudburst, as well as what the local and national governments have been doing in their relief efforts. He told us about how the India government had given each family money to replace their homes, as well as a plot of land to build on. However, the cost of building the house’s foundation alone could easily cost the entire payout.
Our concern was that people were lacking basic necessities, such as food, water and heat, but we were assured that the community response was great enough that those things were being provided for. While families are currently coping with their conditions, the imminent danger is that winter is quickly approaching and the houses have not been finished yet. The problem that the refugees are facing is that even if the house foundations are built, their prefabricated houses are not yet in Leh, let alone constructed.
Lobzang pointed out that even once the prefab houses are built, they are a dramatic difference in lifestyle from what most of the refugees are used to. Traditional homes are made of stone and plaster and use a kerosene-burning bukhari for heating. The new prefab homes are not fitted for bukharis, but assume that electric heaters will be used. Due to the nature of the prefabricated houses, we initially felt that electric heaters powered by donated generators would be the best option. The problem lies both in the fact that electric heaters are a new method of heating for most families, as well that they would require a generator to keep them operational.
In order to clarify the housing situation, we made a trip to the Solar Colony Refugee Camp to see how reconstruction was progressing. To our good fortune, we met Dorje, who is a leading member of the citizen group organizing construction efforts at the camp. He showed us the foundations that are currently under construction and gave us some insight into the reality of refugees’ situation. Dorje told us that one thing worth considering is the presence of families who are actually living in villages near the refugee camp, but wanted to take advantage of the government compensation. While they cannot be faulted for this, it is important to target our efforts toward the families who lost their homes and possessions in the disaster. Since we had brought with us a number of coats and other donated garments, he advised us to distribute them at a camp meeting that would take place after the work day had ended, when only the refugees without a village to return to would be in camp.
Later that evening we returned with the clothes and Dorje called everyone to the meeting house. Harmit introduced us to everyone and explained that we were interested in providing them aide to help with recovery efforts. He also explained that we would be administering surveys to find out more about the living conditions and demographics of the child population We asked the assembly some questions about whether they would prefer electric heaters or bukharis in their homes, to which the majority responded electric heaters. Afterwards, the clothes were distributed in a fairly orderly fashion and it was very clear that people appreciated the donations.
We returned that night with a lot to consider about the meeting, particularly regarding the heating situation. A meeting was planned with an Army contractor, in order to further dissect the construction of the prefabricated houses and installation of an appropriate heating element. We also compiled a survey in order to find out more about the children who had lost a parent, so that we could begin to estimate the feasability of building a youth hostel and community center near the refugee camp.
Leh Flood Relief Project 