In the face of devastating floods, a duo from Assam is raising relief through crowdfunding

While the state and central government have helped with relief and rehabilitation in Assam, two local individuals stepped up to gather support from citizens all over the country.

Surrounded by mountains and blessed with many rivers and tributaries, Assam is one of the most picturesque states of the Northeast India. However, because of the mighty Brahmaputra, floods are more or less a yearly episode. The topography, excess rain and recent human interventions such as encroachment, lack of drainage, deforestation and unplanned urban growth have added to Assam’s increased vulnerability to floods of massive proportions.

During monsoon every year, the tributaries of Brahmaputra flow much over the danger mark and wreak havoc in the state. This year, the monsoon was prolonged. The flooding started as early as February and Assam is still in grave danger. As of July 14, 2017, at least 85 people died due to the flood, four lakh people have been affected, and 5,00,000 rendered homeless. Nearly 60 animals, mostly deer and wild boars perished in the floods. To help the situation, the state government has set up 128 relief camps under the surveillance of the Chief Minister of Assam.

According to the 2016 ‘Flood Report’ released by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, 22 districts were flooded with over 17 lakh people affected and a total of 2,13,00 hectares of crop area destroyed. With numbers already this alarming, one can only imagine the staggering report of 2017 yet to be published.

Small steps towards a big change

On witnessing devastation of such degree, two residents of Assam, Raunak N Deb (33), a travel specialist, and Rhituraj Neog (34), a government agent, felt the need to step up and do something for the affected. They intended to help the citizens of India realise their duty towards a community often neglected in times of trouble — a mere amount as donation could provide relief to the affected families and property.

Raunak and Rhituraj launched an online crowdfunding campaign which is not just about providing relief and necessities during floods, but a step beyond.

“This year due to incessant rains, farmers were practically not able to sow seeds and sapling for the next season. This will affect them enormously in the next reaping season, bringing financial woes. This is where our campaign kicks in,” they say.

Their campaign started two weeks ago. They aim to participate in post relief work by mostly providing agricultural aid to farmers who are in maximum loss.

Bringing relief to farmers worst hit

“Assam is one of the worst sufferers of flood and it comes in every year during the festival time which causes woes rather than joy,” says Raunak.

“The districts of Assam at the upper reaches of river Brahmaputra like Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Jorhat, North Lakhimpur, Golaghat and the river Island Majuli are the most affected. People lose their homes, personal belongings, livestock and most importantly their farms on which they are wholly dependent,” adds Rhituraj.

The campaign primarily intends to solve the problems that will come up during the dry seasons — farmers will have no crop to reap or to sell and villages will have to re-build homes and medical facilities. The funds raised will then be used to help farmers procure saplings, fertilisers, medicines, and home rebuilding.

In a hope to increase momentum

The initiative, running extensively on word of mouth and through social networks, managed to gather great response with a 10 percent fund raised within a day of starting the campaign. However, even with its constant promotion on social platforms, the misgiving about the campaign’s authenticity among people has lowered its momentum.

“The only challenge is gaining trust as we do not come from any known organisation working on relief. Most contributions made earlier were on a personal level,” says Rhituraj.

The campaign has been forwarded to various Assamese societies outside India, but since this is an individual effort, people are apprehensive to come forward and contribute, says the duo. This being their first crowdfunding initiative for such a cause, both Raunak and Rhituraj are positive and still hopeful that they will raise more funds as more people realise the scale of the problem.

“Last year we collected clothes and food materials from different people and distributed them in few affected villages. This year, the money raised will be used in buying medication, food materials, blankets, and also agricultural aid for farmers whom we mainly want to assist.”

The duo also wants to reach out to other states of Northeast India, with a much more organised structure, to work on flood relief and other social issues. They remark, “We cannot enforce change; it comes from within. If there is anything that makes you feel it needs your help, go ahead. Donate love, we know everybody has it in full.”

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