DHEMAJI, Sept 10 � Flood waters of the Gai and Jiadhal rivers in Dhemaji district have wreaked havoc on several thousand families this year, especially those living in the riparian areas. Additionally, till date eight persons have lost their lives in the deluge.
One among them was Rupa Duworah (26) of Tokoubari Thekeraguri village in the Gai Nadi area of the district. Rupa, a daughter of the same village, settled with her husband Bhaimon Duworah (28) near the guide bund built by the DRDA, between the Railway Bridge and the National Highway-52 bridge over the Gai River, about seven years back. Bhaimon was, and still is a daily wage earner. He is a matriculate, while Rupa read up to BA second year. The couple had two sons�Firoz (5) and Arunjyoti (2).
On August 15, Bhaimon got up late in the morning, around 7-30. Both Firoz and Arunjyoti were taken by their maternal grandmother to the eatery she runs beside NH-52 in the same area. He noticed some unusual development in the Gai river. The river was roaring with fury. Being a youth living in the riverside for quite a long time, Bhaimon realized that the river was about to breach the guide bund. He shouted at Rupa to come out of the house and run. Rupa, who was busy talking to her sister-in-law Rekhamoni, immediately rushed out of the house, along with Rekhamoni. Bhaimon asked Rupa and Rekha to climb the ejar tree standing nearby. They quickly climbed the tree and started shouting for help. They shouted for about four hours seeking help. But the turbulence of the floodwater was such that it made even the well-trained NDRF people panic.
Finally the tree was uprooted by the floodwater and all the three persons were washed away. Local people and the district administration, in team with the Inland Water Transport (IWT) and the NDRF people, could rescue Bhaimon and Rekha (25). The body of Rupa was found on August 22 at the extreme western corner of their village, about two kilometres from the place, where she was dislodged from the ejar tree by the floodwater, said Bhaimon with moistened eyes. His younger son Arunjyoti was hanging on to him. Since he lost his mother on August 15, the child is restive.
Monjit Chutia (26) of the same village lost two of his family members � his paternal grandmother Mula Chutia and his brother Ratul Chutia. Monjit was rescued, along with his wife, by the Army personnel using their helicopter and his mother was also rescued by the village people. His father was away from home that day, Monjit said. Dhemaji Deputy Commissioner MS Manivannan told this correspondent that 1,267 people were rescued by the district administration on August 15 with the help of the IWT, Army and NDRF people.
He further said that the local people also extended much help to the rescuers, or else the death toll would have been much more that day.
