Floods in the Mountains Mt.Abu

Floods in the Mountains of Mt.Abu

I retrieved my laptop from the cabinet during the second week of August, intending to share some observations about the monsoon on Facebook. Our community, known as Abuites, was quite concerned, as we had encountered only about six light showers until August 7th, with just two of them being heavy. It seemed like we were heading into another dry spell.

On the morning of August 9th, the rain started with a gentle drizzle, intensifying as the day progressed. By midday, the downpour had become a torrential deluge, as if the gates of heaven had opened, releasing a flood instead of the expected brimstone and fire. It transformed the hill station into a waterlogged landscape.

Streams of water began flowing down the small creek in front of our house, causing our modest bridge to overflow. The water volume surged by the minute, and I realized a flash flood was imminent. Relentless heavy rain persisted, and the continuous downpour led to torrents of water converging towards the major drainage system. Unfortunately, the neglected state of the streams and gutters aggravated the situation because of obstructions and backflows, causing water levels to rise in various parts of Abu. It submerged the main road under over three feet of water, and landslides blocked some pathways, forcing people to detour around the affected areas, even trekking from the Hanuman temple because of the landslide.

The impact of the deluge led to the collapse of a substantial wall in front of Dhundai Central School, with debris hindering the turbulent flow of water. Vehicles parked in lots were carried away, and motorcycles were swept downstream. Amid the chaos, my cook Naresh and I waded through waist-high water to rescue our water storage tanks, which had drifted away. I secured my scooter at a higher elevation and fastened our water tanks to our main iron door. The water level continued to rise, and our surroundings resembled a transformed landscape, with water reaching our home’s fourth step. Liz, who was sitting on her bed, tried to seek help by calling, but connectivity issues made it a challenge. She contacted people in town and inform them of our predicament.

Around 1:45 pm, water seeped into the house, and by 2 pm, it had risen to three feet. Time was running short, preventing us from salvaging belongings. The rising water engulfed cupboards, causing fridges and a washing machine to float. Liz’s bed was adrift, prompting me to move her into her specialized wheelchair. Urging Naresh and our maid to hold on to the wheelchair, I struggled to open the rear iron door, which was obstructed by the rising water. With a concerted effort, I pried it open, allowing the water to rush in.

The water level had reached about four feet inside the house, submerging Liz’s lower body. After clearing the debris, we guided her to the back of the house. With combined effort and Liz’s cooperation, we successfully transported her to the rooftop. As the unrelenting rain ceased by 4 pm, the water gradually receded, leaving behind a messy aftermath. Liz was safely lowered from the roof by CRPF personnel and taken to a temporary shelter at the Starlet hostel. Leonard and his team arrived to begin the cleanup and restoration process. I’m immensely thankful to everyone who extended their help to Liz and me during this challenging situation.

Despite the impending danger, I managed to capture a few photographs.

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Close to 1pm, the water 10 above the stream

The rising water

Three feet of water in the kitchen

One of the fridges floating,the water came through the window 

Naresh and the tank

The stream looks like a river 

 The water level at our threshold 

P.S
Read more on the Heavy Rain in Mt.Abu
have a look at the video clip I took Floods in Abu

The Ordeal and Nightmare continue Abu

Life has been one nightmare after another

It’s been over 175 days since I’ve made up my mind to put my tormented thoughts into a clear concise order. Life has been one nightmare after another; I’ve never been as depressed in life as I have been over the last six months. I had lost all sense of perspective, and I found myself in a state of limbo, I could not bring myself to face the eventual reality that was to follow. All along from day one I knew we would one day be faced with the grim reality of Liz losing her second leg to the rare disease of ‘Takayasu’s Arteritis’. 

Liz is no quitter, she has always faced day-to-day problems with a practical outlook on the positive side of things. I remember when I mentioned to her that she had become the victim of an incurable, horrendous disease called ‘Takasuisis Arthritis’, she shrugged her shoulders and with her positive attitude to life said, “The Lord giveth and the lord taketh ‘. She has been through purgatory, the catholic idea of cleansing of the soul before the final journey to the road that leads to the Pearly Gates.

Purgatory my ass, was more a preparation for the trials of Hades, after her amputation of the first foot, it took more than a  year for the wound to close and heal, in the meantime the disease which was restricted all this while through medication, once again began to manifest its ugly head in her second foot. I had never seen Liz grouse, moan or complain even though she had gone through the ordeals of multiple angiographies, amputations of her toes followed by her right foot, she braved all these trials and tribulations but when her left leg started to rankle and the collapsing arteries began to put pressure on her other veins, resulting in them being raptured due to being comprised, and triggering extreme panic amongst the household, did she lose her cool. Twice she had to be rushed to the Global Hospital for first aid treatment. Liz’s spirit began to wane and I could see the agony she was going through. The eruptions on her foot began to ooze and the mucus began to smell, it was a living hell, the excruciating pain, the foul odour, and the hope for a cure made her cry out in a lamented and pathetic appeal to her Maker to release her of this ordeal.

Below are some of the photographs I had taken to send to the various doctors for their opinions and suggestions 

Front view of the foot

 Another angle

The inner side of the foot 

The outer side 

 I could do nothing to alleviate her pain, the world around me seemed to be collapsing, pressure was mounting on me on all fronts, and my financial status from comfortable began to go from yellow to red. I searched the internet for hours on end, contacted doctors from all walks of life, and looked for alternate remedies, to make life less of a hell for her. I profusely thank all the gracious people who went out of their way and who took the time to suggest alternative methods of treatment. I knew all along I was like a drowning man reaching for those straws to pull us through this ordeal.

I’ve inserted a diagram of her arterial blood flow given to us by Dr.Darshan, after he had performed a Doppler test on the 16th Jan 2010. In this test, one can clearly see that the foot of the left leg had also succumbed to the disease. There was only hope that through medication on a regular basis, it could be contained.

Life has been good to us; both of us have had our share of struggles and strife, but this nightmare, has left us devastated. We knew this was no illusion, the symptoms were there to see, gangrene had set in, and it was time to act and not delude ourselves that this would blow over. Jennifer had returned from Kolkata, and it was decided that she would take her mother to Ahmedabad for the amputation while I held the fort here in Abu.

For almost eight months our peaceful existence vanished into thin air, we had no moments of rest, and we knew there was no escape from this dilemma. We just had to go through it. Friends and well-wishers dropped in to lend a helping hand some held prayer meetings to boost her sagging and disillusioned spirit. My restless mind could not be dampened even after popping sleeping pills; sleepless nights began to take their toll on my health. In the darkness I pondered on what action I was to take, sometimes lost in my own opinions, and in this emptiness, I would look for some respite to this predicament. I was often tempted to just rush Liz off to Ahmedabad, and surrender her to the surgeon’s knife and be done with it. Oh how I longed to be rid of this quandary, but I knew I could not delude myself and had to wait it out till Liz made up her mind to take the final plunge. I could see Liz struggling through these tumultuous events, and that she had to make up her mind soon before the gangrene spread through her whole system.

I will forever remain a captive to this spectre, to whom do I turn for solace, in an age where everything is so automatized, folks even near and dear ones are so busy in their day-to-day schedule that making time to visit a dear friend in need is indeed an herculean task. I stood beside her in solitude and waited with abated breadth for her to take the final decision of going in for the amputation and clinging on to life with its share of both pleasure and pain. I know the zeal to have achieved great heights in our lifetime now would boil down to a life of struggle and strife. I know that after the amputation, our lifestyles will change radically.

I know and feel the frustration that life isn’t fair, but on looking down the road it isn’t all that bad. We ran a Doppler test in the first week of June at the Global Hospital and the prognosis was that the arteries in her leg had narrowed down and that perhaps stenting would prolong the impending amputation. In light of this forecast and the unbearable pain, Liz took the final decision to go ahead with the amputation. Once again I rang up my friends and classmates in Ahmedabad to arrange for blood for the operation that was to be slated on the 16^th of June. All arrangements with the hospital and the team of doctors had been taken care of.

The operation went off without too much of a hassle, there were a few hiccups prior to the operation, the dye used for the double angiographies one through the arm and the other through the groin to check the extent and spread of the disease caused a reaction and Liz had to be given emergency shots to regulate the reaction. Liz was back in Abu on the 21^st of June. What a relief it was for me to see her sleep through the nights without the Nightmares she had been going through for the last eight months.

Before I forget, let me once again thank all who came forward to give us their support and time. Will be keeping you all updated on this Abode. This year I did not cover the annual concert or the sports as I’m still wobbly from a natural calamity that struck my home on the 9^th of August. Can you imagine Floods in Abu!!!