Deluge aftermath: Helplessness surrounds debt-ridden farmers in Jalandhar's Lohian

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Jalandhar, October 15

More than two months after devastating flashfloods hit the villages of Lohian block, residents are still reeling under the effects of the deluge.

Gurdayal Singh, a marginal farmer from the Gatta Mundi Kasu village of Lohian in Jalandhar was already under a Rs 3.5-lakh debt when he lost his entire paddy crop in the deluge. Three to four feet deep silt on his 1.5-acre fields had rendered them unsuitable for any cultivation.

No wedding attire for the bride

Gurdayal, a father of five, had also fixed his daughter’s wedding on October 28. He was to marry off his 19-year-old daughter to a man from Ferozepur district. However, so far there are no preparations for the wedding at all, he said. There is no wedding attire for the bride and hardly any savings.

Helplessness has surrounded Gurdayal, a father of five, who had also fixed his daughter’s wedding on October 28. He was to marry off his 19-year-old daughter to a man from Ferozepur district.

However, so far there are no preparations for the wedding at all, he said. There is no wedding attire for the bride and hardly any savings.

“If someone came forward to help me, I would be grateful. I cannot afford to take out more loans. We had to suffer in the 2019 floods as well. This time has been worse,” he said.

Gurdayal added that he had plans on how to organise his daughter’s wedding. “If I am able to manage for the expenses, I will call some relatives for the wedding, otherwise, it will be a lonely affair,” he said.

His daughter said she had always imagined how grand her wedding would be. “Now, I have not got any suit or lehenga yet. But the only thing that matters is that my father should be happy, I will not demand for anything,” Gurdayal’s daughter said.

Shingara Singh, a farmer from the Mundi Cholian village, had a similar story to tell. His fields over 2.5 acres still have water. “We are in the process of inviting people for my daughter’s marriage. Water still surrounds my home as well. I fear what will happen if we fix the wedding and floodwater welcomes the guests and the groom,” Shingara said.