Assam Floods Wash Away Livelihood, Loan Repayment Dreams of Jorhat Woman

Livelihood, dreams of repaying loan washed away in Assam floods: Jorhat woman narrates ordeal

Jorhat, July 31

Among them is Moni Bora, a resident of Alengmora in Jorhat district, whose family lost ducks, fish, paddy and their source of livelihood after floodwaters entered their home and submerged their fields.

Determined to improve her family's financial condition, Moni had taken a loan from a self-help group to buy ducks. She raised them with the hope of selling them in the market and using the earnings to repay the loan and support her family.

However, the flood swept away all 10 of her ducks, leaving her worried about how she would repay the loan.

"We have a fishery where we stocked fish this year, but all the fish were swept away by the flood. We have cows and ducks as well. We had applied for a government house, but we never received one. Now our house is slowly collapsing because of the flood," Moni Bora told ANI.

"My 10 ducks were also swept away. I had taken a loan from a self-help group, and I was planning to repay it by selling those ducks. But now, I don't know how I will repay the loan. It will take several years for our family to return to a normal life," she added.

The family's losses extend beyond the ducks. Moni's husband had invested their savings in a fishery, hoping for a good harvest this year, but the flood washed away all the fish. Their paddy fields were also submerged, while their granary was damaged.

The family had stored around 15 quintals of paddy, which was meant to provide food for the entire year. However, they could save only a small portion before the floodwaters arrived. The remaining paddy has now started sprouting after being soaked in floodwater and has been damaged.

Moni recalled that the floodwaters entered their village late at night after the embankment broke, leaving the family with very little time to save their belongings.

"It was around 10:30 p.m., I think. We were getting ready to go to bed when we suddenly heard people shouting that the embankment had broken. At first, we didn't believe it. But within minutes, floodwater rushed into our house. We had very little time to save our belongings," she told ANI.

"We had 15 quintals of paddy. We managed to save only a small portion, as we didn't have enough time to rescue all of it before the floodwaters came. Now the saved paddy has started sprouting and is completely damaged," said Narendr Bora, a resident of Alengmora.

"This paddy was meant to feed our family for the entire year. If any surplus remained, we would sell it to earn a little income. We have milled the remaining paddy into rice, and that is the only thing keeping us going. At least we still have some food to eat. Our ducks were also swept away in the flood," he added.

Similar losses have been reported from flood-affected areas across Jorhat, Sivasagar and Charaideo districts, where families have lost homes, livestock, crops and sources of income.

As the floodwaters recede, affected families are now facing the difficult task of rebuilding their lives and livelihoods. For families like Moni Bora's, the damage extends beyond physical property, with the loss of livestock, crops and savings creating uncertainty over their ability to repay loans and secure food and income in the months ahead.

— ANI