JAMMU: With Jammu city and its suburbs caught in the throes of heavy rains and repeated floods, pushing life into disarray, causing a massive scale of destruction and loss, the few thousands Rohingya refugees living in shabby tenements and caught in the grip of the floods fear that they would be completely neglected.
Their tents and small shacks they are putting up in are washed away and with that are lost all the belongings, many of them spoken to said.
Since August 14, over 130 people have died and 33 remain missing following cloudbursts, landslides, and flash floods in Kishtwar, Kathua, Reasi, and Ramban districts of Jammu division.
Heavy rainfall on August 26–27 triggered flash floods in low-lying areas of Jammu and nearby plains, causing extensive damage to infrastructure, leaving thousands homeless as over two thousand houses were damaged in Jammu.
On September 1, after floods first hit the winter capital, India’s Home Minister, Amit Shah, visited the affected areas of Jammu to assess the situation and assured of all support. That, however, offers the Rohingyas little hope. Politically vilified, targeted and neglected, the Rohingya flood-victims fear that they may be left to fend for themselves.
On September 3, relentless rains swamped Jammu region and waters in the Chenab and Tawi are increasing, besides the canals across the district. At least two people were reported dead in house and scores more were marooned.
Thousands of Rohingya refugees have been living in makeshift shelters since 2004 in Jammu. Already struggling to survive, these families face even greater hardships now, as their fragile homes—made of cardboard, tin sheets and thatched roofs—have been washed away by the floods.
Noor-ul-Islam, 40, a labourer by profession, said, “For the last 20 days, continuous rain has left us without any earnings. Our homes were already out of stock, and now we have lost our shelter as well. We managed to survive on empty stomachs for days, but in this harsh weather, we no longer have a place to rest.”
For Noor-ul-Islam, the floods took away more than just a shelter. With his wife and five young children, he fled his tent and sought refuge with relatives. But the overcrowded space and shortage of food forced him back into uncertainty.
“We spent two nights there, but we couldn’t manage any longer. Our tent was washed away, and now we have nothing left. We spent the entire night under the open sky, in the pouring rain—what else can we do?” Noor said, his eyes welling up with tears.
Jabir Hussain, another member of the Rohingya community living on the outskirts of Jammu’s Narwal area, echoed this despair. “As a community, we have already suffered a lot. We were struggling to meet our daily needs, and now this calamity has added to our miseries. At least 50 makeshift tents have been washed away,” he explained.
Muddy water swept through the tents, carrying along plastic and aluminum utensils that could be seen floating away.
He added that while the youth of the community often come forward to support others in times of crisis, the current disaster has left every household preoccupied with its own struggles. “There are around twenty to thirty families whose food, clothes, and other essentials have been completely washed away,” Jabir said.
For Jammu’s Rohingya refugees, survival has always been a daily battle. But the floods have stripped away even the little security they had, leaving them at the mercy of uncertain skies and the kindness of others.
Mubashira, 36, a mother of three daughters and two sons, expressed her deep anxiety while speaking to Kashmir Times. “I have three daughters, and one of them is still an infant. I don’t worry as much if my two sons have to spend nights under the open sky, but I am deeply concerned about my daughters. Where can I hide them? How can I protect their dignity? Even a single blanket has not been spared in my home,” she said, her voice filled with desperation.
There are several locations, including Sunjwan, Channi, and Narwal, where Rohingya refugees are living. In Narwal alone, about 250 families have been affected by the floods. “Water gushed down from a nearby hill, carrying mud and flooding our tents. We don’t have much property, but whatever little we had was important and life-saving for us. Now, due to the floods, we have lost that too,” said Arif, his voice choking.
Mohammad Arif, in his forties, appealed to the Government of India and the Jammu and Kashmir administration to also take note of the condition of refugees. “We are not claiming to be nationals of this country; we are only appealing on humanitarian grounds. We too have children, elderly people, and women. Anyone with a human heart cannot ignore the suffering of fellow human beings, irrespective of their nationality or religion. The Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, visited Jammu, assessed the situation, and directed the administration to take every possible step to rehabilitate the affected families. Yet, no one in the administration or government has shown concern for our plight,” he said
Mohammad Rafiq, the head of another affected family, shared his distress with Kashmir Times. “We are surrounded by countless difficulties, but at this moment, what we need most is simply a place to rest, a space where we can gather ourselves. We have nothing to eat, yet even hunger feels secondary compared to this. Patients are lying in our homes, and the way we are struggling to take care of them is beyond what any ordinary human being can imagine,” he said, his voice heavy with despair.
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