When Floodwater Reached the Rooftop: Ashika Chettri’s Family Needs a Home Again

Before the flood, Ashika Chettri and her husband, Dhan Prasad Chetri, worked as daily wage labourers. Together, they earned approximately Rs. 7,000–8,000 per month and supported their family of four. The family also kept poultry and a goat as a supplementary source of livelihood.

They lived in a bamboo house in Gohain Bari, a low-lying area very close to the Dikhow River. Their life was modest but organised around work, family responsibilities and the small assets they had built over time.

Then the floodwaters rose rapidly.

The family’s bamboo house was completely destroyed. Beds, furniture, cooking utensils, clothes, bedding, food stocks, electrical appliances, school materials and other essential household belongings were lost. Their poultry and goat were also washed away, taking away an important supplementary livelihood.

The family had to leave before it was too late.

“Flood water was moving over the roof top. We moved out on time and saved ourselves.”— Ashika Chettri

Today, Ashika, her husband and their children are staying at Ashika’s brother’s house in Gohain Bari. Her brother currently lives in Bangalore, allowing the family to use the house while they remain displaced from their own home.

Although the family has access to safe drinking water, food, markets and transportation, their situation remains uncertain. Sanitation is still a challenge, and their ability to meet daily expenses is only partial. Their own home is fully destroyed, and the livestock they depended on as a supplementary livelihood has been lost.

Ashika and Dhan Prasad have resumed daily wage work to the extent possible, but the family’s livelihood has only partially recovered.

The family has received food, household items, hygiene kits and utensil kits from SEEDS and other organisations. This assistance has helped them meet some immediate needs, but significant gaps remain in shelter, sanitation, household belongings and livelihood restoration.

For Ashika’s family, recovery begins with having a home again. Reconstructing a safe shelter would allow the family to return to a place of their own and provide greater security for their children. Replacing the poultry and goat they lost would help restore a supplementary source of income and household support. Essential household items and sanitation facilities would further help the family rebuild a dignified daily life.

Over the next three to six months, Ashika and Dhan Prasad hope to rebuild their home, restore their livelihood, replace their livestock and create greater safety and stability for their children.

Your support can help them rebuild a safer home and restore the essentials they need to move forward.

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Your contribution will support SEEDS’ flood response and recovery efforts for affected families based on assessed needs.

Indicative Recovery Requirement

Based on an initial indicative assessment, Ashika's recovery requirement could be around ₹1,90,000. Around ₹1,20,000 is indicated for rebuilding a permanent house, durable rebuild. A further ₹20,000 is indicated for replacing the domestic animals lost, based on a typical small mixed holding for the area, to be confirmed through field verification. ₹20,000 is set aside for household utensils and essential items, and ₹30,000 for continued sanitation and drinking water support during the recovery period.

Recovery requirements and costs are indicative and subject to field and technical verification. Support will be prioritised according to assessed household needs.