Battle for survival on rooftops

Perched precariously on rooftops, battling hunger and nature's fury, life for thousands of flood-hit villagers in West Bengal has been a virtual struggle for the past week.
And as the sound of the rotor blades of an Indian Airforce helicopter breaks the silence in these totally marooned areas, their eyes turn skywards with mute expectation, hoping that succour will reach them before it is too late.
For these starving villagers, who have lost everything in the floods which have hit nine districts of the state, it has been an agonising wait for relief and the continuing rain have only compounded their misery.

The flash floods have washed away their hutment’s forcing villagers to take shelter on rooftops that still remain and trees. As the IAF helicopter, carrying food for stricken villagers lowers altitude, thousands of hands go up pleading for food to be dropped.

The food sacks are dropped at the only dry spot available in the area and a virtual scramble follows as the villagers jump into the water to reach the site. Not all of them are lucky.

Bureau Report