Relief Work

The flood of September 2014, followed by heavy rainfall, resulted in stagnant water in most villages across the districts of Srinagar, Baramulla, Budgam and Bandipora. This caused various health hazards, mainly water-borne diseases and allied health issues. AMAN's team extended support to 14 far-flung villages in the flood-affected districts of Srinagar, Budgam, Baramulla and Bandipora in the Kashmir valley. Considering that these villages had bare minimum health care facilities, the project focused on providing health care and related counselling services to community members.

14 health awareness and check-up camps were held simultaneously across villages in the four districts of J&K. Around 6,062 people (1,573 men, 2,932 women, 1,557 children) visited for consultation and laboratory tests, and were treated for illnesses including skin infections, urinary tract infections, anaemia, intestinal infections, and cough and cold.

AMAN's team of physicians provided the required counselling and briefed visiting patients and their relatives on the major health hazards identified during the camps in these flood-affected districts.

Around 12.5 lakh families were directly and indirectly affected by the floods, with property loss estimated at around a crore. AMAN's field team assessment found that thousands of families lost their residential houses in the flood.

While rehabilitation-related intervention focused on providing support to economically marginalised flood-affected families, AMAN, with generous support from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), provided basic support to children of these families in the 5 to 18 age group. Relief materials — school bags, pheran (Kashmiri overcoats), shoes and socks — were distributed to 49 children across the districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Pulwama.

Lack of access to clean drinking water and inadequate supplies pose various health-related challenges to the affected community. Contaminated water sources lead to many water-borne diseases. AMAN's team facilitated the successful installation of 20 TATA RO water treatment plants across the flood-affected districts of Budgam, Baramulla and Bandipora in the Kashmir valley.

Several community mobilisation drives were conducted to train community representatives on how to use and maintain the RO plants and ensure the sustainability of the project.

Jammu and Kashmir witnessed its worst flood from 2nd September 2014 onwards, during the last stage of the Indian monsoon, triggering flooding and landslides across the region. By 5th September, the Jhelum River was reported to be flowing over the danger mark. About 2,600 villages were reported affected across the state, of which 390 villages in the Kashmir valley were completely submerged. Over 12.5 lakh families were directly and indirectly affected, with property loss estimated at around a crore.

AMAN's field team found that thousands of families lost their homes, particularly in the districts of Pulwama, Anantnag, Srinagar and Bandipora. While most humanitarian agencies focused relief and rehabilitation efforts on south Kashmir and Srinagar, villages across Bandipora district in the northern region of the Kashmir valley remained largely unattended.

With generous support from Habitat for Humanity, AMAN aided the construction of pucca (permanent) houses for flood-affected families in Bandipora district — families who had faced massive loss of property, including their homes, and had survived in makeshift tents before support arrived. In total, twenty-two houses were constructed under this programme over a period of nine months.