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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Going to school a daily hazard in flood-hit Assam villages -Samudra Gupta Kashyap

Going to school a daily hazard in flood-hit Assam villages -Samudra Gupta Kashyap

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published Published on Oct 15, 2012   modified Modified on Oct 15, 2012
-The Indian Express

Balimukh village, Morigaon: For 11-year-old Jesmina Begum, daughter of Abdul Motin of Atigaon, a village in the flood-ravaged Morigaon district in central Assam, commuting to school has become not only difficult but also dangerous in the recent weeks.

“We know that five children drowned in a boat capsize on Tuesday. But what to do? We can’t stop going to school,” Jesmina said.

The floods have washed away the road to their village and also a bridge. “Now we go to school on a boat, paying Rs 2 for each trip to cross the Pakariya river,” Jesmina said, alighting from the small country boat that belongs to Hamidul Islam, a resident of the village. The Pakariya’s floodwaters have considerably receded, but the river is yet to move back to its original channel.

Jesmina is one among dozens of children of Atigaon, Hariyapar, Kalbari, Bori, Karchowa, Gagolmari and other villages in the district who had been travelling dangerously on tiny country boats to cross the Pakariya.

Hasnara Khatun (11) of Hariyapar, Elisa Khatun (12), Nazneen Sultana (10) and Nurul Amin (13) — all of Kalbari — Umeda Begum (10) of Karchowa, Amirul Islam (12) of Gagolmari, Rupa Begum (10) of Atigaon, have been forced to take this dangerous trip twice a day to make it to Balimukh Lower Primary School — the only school for a cluster of about half-a-dozen villages, established in 1958.

They were aware of the danger as five children drowned on the way to school in two boat accidents on Tuesday. These children were on boats ferrying people across due to two breaches on the road caused by the swelling Pakariya. The children killed in Tuesday’s accidents included three girls — Akhtara Begum (9), Samsul Nehar (11), Noor Zaman (9) — and Sheikh Farid (9) and Habibur Rahman (8).

“The rainy season has been always difficult, especially for the schoolgoing children,” Radhakanta Deka, headmaster of Balimukh LP School, said.

“With three waves of floods, this year has been particularly bad. The last inundated the entire Mayong Circle and forced us to keep the schools closed for a week or more. When the water receded, there was knee-deep mud and dirt in the school,” Deka said. He too has to cross two road breaches by boat to reach Balimukh from his village Manaha, about seven km away.

Of the 225 students in Deka’s school, 120 have been travelling across the floodwaters on country boats which are generally overloaded and have no safety support like lifeguards and buoys to use in case of an emergency.

“I know it is dangerous. But what can I do when everybody, including these little children, have to use these boats to get to their destinations,” said Imdadul Hussain, the boatman who ferried the children from Atigaon just in time for the ongoing half-yearly exams.

“Two waves of floods hit the district in a span of three months. These have damaged at least 300 roads and several bridges, apart from washing away approaches to most of the bridges. At least 300 schools, mostly primary schools in rural areas, have been also damaged,” Morigaon deputy commissioner Vishal Solanki said.

“A vital bridge on Goronga beel (pond) on the Sonapur-Mayong road got washed away in August. Since then, I have been paying Rs 20 for each trip to cross the beel on a boat, adding Rs 40 to my daily expenditure. This works out to at least Rs 1,000 per month,” Lokendra Hazarika, a teacher in Mayong Higher Secondary School, said.

The panchayat ward member himself is plying a boat to ferry people across Goronga beel, with rates being fixed by him for various categories. Accordingly, while the individual fare is Rs 5 per head, one has to pay Rs 5 extra for a bicycle, Rs 15 for a motorcycle. For children, the fare is Rs 2 (one way).

In Guwahati, Dhruba Hazarika, director of the state inland water transport department, said that the state government does not have direct control over country boats that ply in smaller rivers and in interior areas. “The government department runs large boats on the Brahmaputra. There are about 350 private engine-fitted boats registered with the department. Smaller country boats are supposed to be under the control of the panchayats,” he said.

The dangerous boat ride

Dozens of children from several villages ferried on tiny country boats to reach school

Each child pays Rs 2 for a trip to cross the Pakariya river

Ferried twice a day to make it to Balimukh Lower Primary School — the only school for about half-a-dozen villages

Five killed in Tuesday’s accidents — Akhtara Begum (9), Samsul Nehar (11), Noor Zaman (9), Sheikh Farid (9) and Habibur Rahman (8).

Two waves of flood in three months left 300 roads, several bridges damaged

At least 300 schools, mostly primary schools in the rural areas, have been also damaged

The Indian Express, 15 October, 2012, http://www.indianexpress.com/news/going-to-school-a-daily-hazard-in-floodhit-assam-villages/1016834/


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