Flood-hit Dalits facing hunger and prejudice
Jan Khaskheli
Friday, September 30, 2011
Paari Kolhi, a mother of two, was unable to narrate the actual cause
of her sudden blindness. She lost her eyesight during her continuous
travel from Jhudo town to Tando Bago town in search of a safe place
after heavy rains inundated her area.
Sitting outside a tent with both her children — Mandi (son) and Mirwan
(daughter) — she recalls: "I felt suffering from high fever and cold
during that night in the heavy rain — living in the open without
shelter. I cried and my children called people for help. But no one
could do anything for me as the land routes were cut off. And then I
lost my eyesight mysteriously."
Her husband is missing since rains wreaked havoc on her village. "I do
not know anything about Ramchand. He took us out, asking us to move
ahead slowly and then returned to take something from the flooded
house. Since then we do not know where he has gone."
Paari Kolhi was constantly scolding her children not to move far away
from the tent, asking them to sit closer to her. Left with a small
iron box and packs of old clothes as her only property, she is only
worried about her husband. "I need nothing but my husband, who may do
something for me and these children. I do not know where to go for
treatment."
At a walking distance was a long queue inside a government high school
building. Hundreds of people were waiting to be issued ëPakistan
Card'. There were crowds from the entrance waiting for their turn. But
for Paari Kolhi going there was a futile attempt.
A majority of 3.8 million peasants (out of a total 8.8 million)
affected by rains and flood belong to low-caste Hindu families —
Kolhis, Bheels, Meghwars, Bagris, Jogis, Gurglas and other gypsy
tribes. They are not being treated equally, they complain. With empty
stomachs, they are facing prejudice everywhere. That was why most of
them preferred to live on safe mounds. A few of them have got donated
tents, food packs, non-food items and kitchen sets while others are
waiting for help.
While traveling from Hyderabad to Badin, there were tents, makeshift
shelters and water everywhere. Many link roads were still submerged.
Another woman, Satru Kolhi, wife of Kewal Kolhi, who had traveled a
long distance from the same town of Jhudo, was sitting with three
ailing children suffering from gastroenteritis. "Somebody came and
gave these medicines to me," said the mother of four. Her husband had
gone to beg some cooked food from other affected people for their
ailing children.
The Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler) claims
to have distributed food items with health kits to 1,200 families, 60
percent of them belonging to Dalit communities. Dr Baharo Wasan,
monitoring Piler's relief and mobile medical teams, said their special
focus was to help pregnant women and children.
Over 120 Bheel and Kolhi families, displaced from Badin district,
traveled 70-80 kilometres to sand dunes in Tharparkar district,
considering the area the only safe place. All the 120 families staying
on sand hills for one month are waiting for help from charity
organisations.
Ano Bheel, a farmer, said: "It was non-stop heavy rain that night. We
could not sleep. Later we saw the floodwater inundating a wide area.
In the early morning, we saw the people leaving their abodes
hurriedly. Then we too left the area and wading through the
floodwaters reached a safe road. We stayed at some places, viewing
them to be safer, but saw the endless crowds hailing from different
areas traveling towards sand hills. Again we took our children and
started traveling in uncertainty."
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