Australian Sikh Support is among the many organisations that have come forward to offer assistance to the flood-hit state of Punjab in India.
Photos and videos posted on Facebook show the ASS serving flood victims in the Sultanpur Lodhi and Kapurthala region in Punjab.
The secretary of the organisation Gurjeet Singh and their on-ground in-charge Gurpreet Singh have spoken to SBS Punjabi about their rescue efforts.
“We are doing our best to reach as many people as possible but there is still a limit to what we can achieve,” said Mr Singh.
“What has added to the woes of these flood-hit people is that there is no help coming from the government. They are just busy doing surveys. Most of the rescue efforts are done by local volunteers and Sikh charity organisations.”
The ASS volunteers are operating through local Gurdwaras [Sikh Temples] for preparing food and distributing grocery items of daily use to the flood-affected areas.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh conducted an aerial survey of the low-lying areas that have been worst hit and met state officials to discuss the crisis on Thursday.
Speaking to the media, Mr Singh said that he has approached the Prime Minister for financial aid and assured that even if no help came from the central government, the state government wouldn’t deter from providing relief to the affected people.
Over 300 villages are grappling with flood fury, particularly in Ropar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Kapurthala districts of the state, following incessant rain and release of excess water from the Bhakra Nangal dam.
Listen to SBS Punjabi Monday to Friday at 9 pm. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
