The only sound that Anita Samanta, 26, can hear is that of incessantly falling rain. Perhaps it is fortunate that she cannot see her house submerged in water and the loss of her meager family belongings; Anita is visually impaired. Her small thatched house, like others in the village of Manoharpur in India's eastern state of West Bengal, has been flooded by waters from the three rivers surrounding the district, according to Debashish, a CARE staff member who is participating in the relief activities. Five other districts of the state are also badly affected, making it difficult for relief and aid to reach the stranded people. More than 600,000 people have been affected by the floods in West Bengal.
It has been a couple of days since Anita's family rations have run out. Surrounded by water, the family struggles to get any that is safe to drink. Marooned in their house, Anita's father, a daily wage laborer, has not been able to work for the last few weeks. "The rains have also washed away my father's livelihood. I do not know when he will be able to get any work. As it is we have been surviving from hand to mouth. In these few days, I have often wondered will anybody reach us before whatever little we have runs out, or else the water will be our shroud," says Anita with a voice choked with tears.
Fortunately for Anita and others like her, CARE did not rely on conventional means to distribute relief materials. Instead, we used boats to reach those affected. More than 16,000 people have received CARE's relief kit comprising essential commodities like tarpaulin, water purification tablets, rice, candles and matches, among other items.
CARE is working with local partner organizations and the representatives of local governments, panchayats, to ensure aid reaches the most affected. Special care has been taken to identify households headed by women, the elderly and those with physical limitations, so that they are given priority when we distribute aid.
