Rotary clubs in Assam, Kerala and Gujarat stepped in to support families affected by floods in these states, providing immediate relief as well as assistance to rebuild their homes and lives.
Assam is one of India’s most flood-prone states, with nearly 40 per cent of its land vulnerable to flooding. In July, floods affected nearly 1.8 lakh people across the state. Heavy rain and cloudbursts in upstream areas caused sudden surge in tributaries of the Brahmaputra, including the Dikhow and Dhansiri. Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat were among the worst-affected districts.
As the rains subsided, a team from the Rotary Club of Delhi West, RID 3011, travelled to Sivasagar in early August to support families whose homes had been damaged. The club gave ₹21,000 each to 16 families to help rebuild their huts. “The money will help them build a tin-roof hut. The families were identified by the local government,” said past president Aroon Roongta.
The team also distributed groceries, toiletries and medicines, and provided financial assistance to Nazira College for minor repair work. Club president Bidyut Tamuly, a native of Assam, led the initiative with Roongta and club member Anil Tayal.
In Aranmula, on the banks of the Pampa in Kerala, more than three days of heavy rain left large parts of the town inundated, forcing thousands of people into relief camps in schools and churches. RC Kanjirapally, RID 3211, along with RCs Erumeli and Aranmula, provided food and drinking water to those in the camps.
“We had to go by boat to many places as they were heavily inundated,” said Srikumaran Nair, president of RC Aranmula. His own house was flooded, while the district’s assistant governor and his family spent three days on the second floor of their home.
With the rains over and residents returning home, Rotary is now distributing essential household items. Clubs from Trivandrum and Kollam have also supported affected families in Aranmula with blankets, clothes and groceries.
In South Gujarat, Rotary clubs in Surat, Chikhli, Gandevi, Navsari, Valsad and Umbergaon joined hands to reach families in some of the worst-affected areas. The relief effort began with the distribution of dry snacks, drinking water and medicines to families who had been displaced or were struggling to access basic necessities, said PDG Tushar Shah.
As the situation improved, the clubs expanded relief efforts. More than 500 flood-affected families received groceries, tarpaulins, cooking utensils, clothes, sanitation and hygiene material, mattresses, blankets and mosquito nets.
Rotary clubs from Bombay, RID 3141, and NGOs including the Lokmanglam Charitable Trust and Parab also joined the relief effort.
When clubs unite beyond geographical boundaries, it is much more than distribution of relief material; it is an assurance to affected families that they are not alone in this difficult hour, said Shah.