Sea of rubbish floods Homes At Omkar Rd
■ Two other families fail to salvage a single belonging ■Reside■ts dumping rubbish and installation of grate prior to flooding blamed as cause
Some residents of Omkar Rd in Narere were left stranded yesterday after a blocked drain littered with rubbish flooded their homes.
The flooding was so severe that one of the homes collapsed, leaving a self-employed construction worker and father to three boys, Kishore Sami, homeless. Mr Sami has blamed other residents in the area for throwing their rubbish anyhow, saying the blocked drains and flooding was caused by the volume of rubbish dumped illegally. A sea of rubbish was seen floating adjacent to the damaged homes when the rain stopped.
Kishore Sami, a self-employed construction worker with his three sons were left homeless yesterday after flood waters entered their home in Omkar Road, Narere.
The deluge was the result of a heavy downpour early yesterday afternoon, made worse by the collection of rubbish clogging the drainage in the informal settlement, and brought Mr Sami’s house was brought to the ground by the flood.
On a good week, the single father earns an income of around $300, which he uses to pay his bills, feed his family, avail funds for transportation and other day-to-day expenses.
He estimated the personal damages caused by the rampant waters to be near the $20,000 mark. He blamed the flooding on the collection of rubbish. Speaking in Hindi he said: “The residents that throw rubbish from the top are at fault. “They’ve started throwing rubbish way too much now.
“I’ve seen much more rain in my lifetime; this was nothing. “But the blockage caused by the rubbish was too much this time. “My son was really scared when he saw the water rising because he doesn’t know how to swim.” Nasinu Town Council workers, led by the chief executive officer Lute Berends, were there after the devastation.
“Our main concern is, of course, the people,” Mr Berends said. “They can’t spend the night here, as you can see, so we have arranged homestays for these people and we have to see what to do further.” Mr Berends said the installation of grates by construction workers from a site just opposite the flooded compound prior to the downpour was the reason for the flood. Flood waters entered the homes of two other families; both, in fleeing the fast-rising waters, were unable to save a single belonging.
A sea of rubbish, floating adjacent to the damaged homes, greeted the crowd of on-lookers that had gathered around the compound. Another resident, Ramiza Bibi, who owns a canteen that partly became submerged in flood waters, said the rain only lasted for fifteen minutes.
“It was so fast. The rain lasted only a short time but the water rose so quickly,” Ms Bibi said. She has six children, including a one-month-old baby, and a husband who, owing to a spinal injury, was confined to a wheelchair.
The town council has also donated clothes and arranged accommodation for nine residents, with the others opting to remain in their homes fearing that their belongings maybe stolen.
For Mr Sami, the future looks bleak.
Trying to smile, he said: “If someone can help us then it would be very nice because I don’t have any cash with me right now.”