In the first week of August, Madhya Pradesh witnessed one of the deadliest floods as more than 1170 villages were affected by it. The state also witnessed probably the most appalling response from the authorities despite Red Alert being issued three days ago. Due to heavy rainfall in districts like Sheopur, the Awda dam started cracking according to the locals and in order to prevent the destruction on such a large scale, the authorities thought of dividing and releasing the water. Unfortunately, this move also caused mass destruction as more than 1170 villages had to endure the devastating floods where even two-storeyed buildings got submerged in the floodwater.Mukesh Shivhare, a resident of Sheopur while talking to Jaano Junction said “Two-storeyed buildings were getting fully submerged in the water. My relatives who were living in the low-lying area of Sheopur had to come to our house as their house was engulfed by the floodwater.” bbfb3e50-cdbd-4ce5-a828-78d6658b0c16.jpgWhen asked about the rescue operations, Shivhare said “The day flood came there was no response from the authorities at all. There was no electricity or signal for days hence we weren’t even able to call them but, as far as I have seen and heard, the day the flood came and the day after there was no response. Neither the police nor the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) or any other department did anything.”d5e67841-f8fd-4359-a01b-df6322bfd9a3.jpgHe further added “We don’t know where they were for two days. When a Red Alert has been issued a few days back then at least the NDRF team should have been here rescuing people but, no they were nowhere to be seen. The people who managed to save themselves for hours by staying on the rooftops could have been saved. At least the people who were hanging on trees for well more than 12 hours could have been saved if the NDRF had been active.” However, ultimately the authorities such as NDRF, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Army and Air Force did rescue approximately 40,000 people.d1ac01fe-a533-4a0c-9a8b-a337c806af2b.jpgThe Union Agriculture Minister, Narendra Singh Tomar who comes from the constituency named Morena came to visit the people affected in Sheopur was met with the wrath of residents. People threw sticks and mud on Tomar’s car to show their anger. Sheopur was once a part of Morena and hence the people of Sheopur still feel connected to Morena.The Collector, Superintendent of Police, and the Additional District Magistrate of Sheopur were removed from their posts as they lacked to save the people from the flood despite the warnings from the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The people of Sheopur reacting to this action said it’s all just a “formality”. Shivhare’s cousin said “Villagers have witnessed dead bodies floating in the floodwater. These transfers are just a formality. It won’t bring the dead back.”e2cfe609-63b4-4231-93b7-37ce8038f487.jpgJaano Junction tried to contact the new Collector, Superintendent of Police (SP) and the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) but, the numbers of SP and ADM were unreachable and according to the Collector’s PA, the Collector was busy for days in meetings and duty due to which he was not able to talk to us.The loss of lives was not the only issue for the districts or the state as over 25,000 houses and buildings were damaged along with six bridges getting washed away due to the flood. Majority of these losses except for the bridges will be endured by the residents only as according to the locals, the Patwaris often tell the people “No matter what amount you mention in the surveys regarding losses, you’ll only be getting two to three thousand at max.”Authorities lacking to take appropriate actions timely is not new for the country as we can see this every other day in one way or the other. In a way, India has normalized mismanagement during floods. Yes, people do get furious but, in the end they’re used to it. Be it the floods in Bihar or the floods in Assam or any other state. At the same time, the important thing to note is that their lax can result in loss of lives and can put a financial strain on the citizens who were expecting the authorities to act timely and help them.
