RELIEF AND FUND COMMITTEE OF LADHAK

The devastating cloud burst and the subsequent flash floods which came on the intervening night of the 4-5 August and changed Leh forever. It seems as if Ladhak had been plunged into darkness and some magician has hauled it back a decade.
I was in Leh that night and my aunt was jolted by the cloudbust. It was an eerie night. The night was cloaked in a strange scilence. My aunt preferred not to wake up as she thougt that the cloud bust would not cause flood of such a magnitude. The dawn arrived. I wake up at 8:7 AM. The people were making a lot of noise. Running helter shelter people were saying “many areas of Leh has been deluged due to cloudburst”. I went with my uncle to inspect the extenct of damage. The houses were shattered. We saw lot of destructied buildings, houses, offices and complexes. Which were compleately vanished. A pall of bloom had descanted in the area. The next day I along with my uncle went to the affected areas and distributed blankets and clothes amoung the affected people. We also destributed mineral waters amoung the affected people as the water available there was awfully contaminated. The people whole heartedly donated for the noble cause. The people were showing great cooperation and everyone gave a helping hand. This act of mine, I believe has learned that the pain of one human being is actually the pain of whole humanity.

Arif-Ur-Rehman
Tyndale Biscoe School