Rehabilitation planned for rain-hit villages of Baddi
The Baddi administration has taken steps to support 30 families from Sunani and Sil villages, who were left homeless by severe land erosion caused by heavy rains in 2023. Approximately 200 bighas of land, which once housed their homes, fields, and livestock shelters, were washed away, leaving residents in makeshift accommodations without essential facilities.
Baddi SDM Vivek Mahajan recently visited the affected areas, inspecting both the families’ temporary shelters and those set up for their animals. The SDM was shown the extensive damage to the villagers’ fields, which were now unfit for cultivation. In response, he directed the Public Works Department to deploy machinery to level the land, allowing residents to eventually resume farming, their main livelihood alongside animal husbandry.
An NGO, Bal Raksha Bharat, has offered to assist by constructing additional sheds. The SDM instructed the NGO to submit a detailed plan, aiming to complete the project before the onset of winter, which poses a significant challenge to residents already enduring hardships in their small tin shelters. For over a year, they have struggled through harsh summers and winters, lacking basic amenities and sufficient space.
The fields, once known for vegetable crops, now lie barren, littered with debris that further hinders agricultural activity. Erosion has also compromised the land’s stability, creating cracks and uprooting trees, which pose a hazard on local roads. Damaged power infrastructure has only added to the difficulties.
The renewed efforts by the administration have brought a glimmer of hope to the residents of Sil and Sunani. Though they still face an uphill battle to regain their livelihoods and rebuild their homes, the new push for rehabilitation offers some relief to the beleaguered families as they prepare to face the winter ahead.
Hopes renewed
- Rehabilitation plans offer glimmer of hope for rebuilding livelihoods and homes
- 30 families from Sunani and Sil villages left homeless due to land erosion in 2023
- NGO Bal Raksha Bharat to construct additional sheds
- Project aims to completion before winter
- Families struggled for over a year without basic amenities
