Riot-hit families at Mustafabad Eidgah struggle to remain afloat after heavy rainfall

Riot-hit families sheltered at an Eidgah in northeast Delhi's Mustafabad had to spend a sleepless night after the tents erected in the open ground started leaking following heavy rainfall, which also flooded the relief camp.

The mattresses got wet and muddy due to the overnight rain, several families complained on Friday, fearing the children might catch cold or fall sick. This at a time when the threat of the new coronavirus is looming over has panicked some of them.

Doctors and volunteers at the camp have been providing counselling and medicines and sanitisers but they also complained about cleanliness and hygiene.

The streets leading to the Eidgah are completely flooded and the sewage is getting mixed with rainwater, said Laik Ahmad from Doctors Unity Welfare Association said.

Ahmad said the sanitation staff have been avoiding the area due to fear of violence. "Locals have been making efforts to clean the compound, mobile toilets and the trash but they are not professionals," he said.

Anshu Anthony from Delhi Minorities Commission said when he came to the camp Friday morning, he saw children sweeping the floor and draining the rainwater.

Certainly, cleanliness is a major issue and there isn't enough NGO staff, Anthony said. "They are already doing so much. In such a case, there's always the risk of infection and diseases," he said.

Firdaus, 39, said she remained awake the entire night as her tent was leaking.

"The mattresses have become wet and dirty. We have appealed to the members of the Waqf Board to change them or the children will fall," she said.

Mohammad Anees said he, his father and the others in the men's camp huddled under a tent that was intact. "We spent the night on our haunches. Through the day, when the rains stopped, we slept on the styrofoam sheets," he said.

The trouble these families face was compounded as the rain returned on Friday evening. Though authorities have arranged new beds and wooden planks, the families know the comfort and security of a home will remain elusive to them for some time.

Ranjana Prasad, of the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights, who is at the camp, said the wooden planks and plastic sheets were procured in less than 24 hours and placed underneath the mattresses after the rainfall led to waterlogging.

"We have also ordered 500 folding beds which will reach the camp soon," she said.

Prasad also said the anganwadi workers have set up a camp at the Eidgah and providing care to children up to the age of six years. "They are talking to pregnant women and inquiring whether they have got vaccinated and medicines," she added.

The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights had written to the East Delhi Municipal Corporation to provide books to children from riot-hit areas.

"The EDMC has arranged for 15 sets of books for every class and these will help children study again. After the riots, when we had gone in the affected areas, most of the children had expressed concern about their studies. A reading mela was held at the relief while proper classes have also begun," she added.

Prasad said children have been counselled to overcome the mental trauma after the riots and they appear much better now.