Guwahati: Moved by the plight of families whose homes were buried in mud, 120 young volunteers are helping flood survivors rebuild their lives, bit by bit. And the only motivation driving their resolve is the joy of families returning home.The volunteers, including 55 women, have cleaned 43 houses and restored electricity connections in flood-ravaged Sivasagar, Charaideo and Jorhat districts.Led by Jorhat social worker and entrepreneur Kamaleswor Kutum, 36, the group initially travelled to the affected areas with relief materials on July 24. Witnessing the scale of destruction prompted them to shift their focus to rehabilitation.“Thereafter, we decided to clean the houses filled with silt, mud and floodwaters to make them habitable for the families. Thousands of people have been providing relief materials. But we must think about a place for the people to stay. So, a total of 120 youths, including 55 girls, have been cleaning the houses since July 27,” Kutum said.The volunteers have been removing thick layers of mud and silt, draining stagnant water and restoring power to make homes habitable.“Using modern equipment, the team has drilled openings in concrete walls to release trapped water, cleaned homes with high-pressure water machines and repaired mud houses that were bent and weakened by the floods,” he added.The team is prioritising households with elderly or sick residents, families without an adult male member and those in remote areas that have received little assistance. The emotional reactions of families returning to their cleaned homes have strengthened the volunteers’ resolve.The group has refused payment from grateful residents, saying its mission is driven solely by compassion. Kutum said he receives more than 1,000 calls daily from flood victims, but the team can respond only according to its capacity.
