12.30 a.m. of Saturday, 07th August 2010 was one of the worst days for the people of Choglamsar and Leh. As usual Leh and surrounding villages covered themselves with a sound sleep after the common generator went to sleep at 11.30 pm of 6th August.

The unusual dark rainy clouds had already set themselves to strike the worst disaster ever in Leh. The people of Leh were without any idea whether these dark and rainy clouds were going to bring darkness of sorrow, grief, misery, distress and sadness. At 12.30 a.m. the Leh city was struck with cloudburst bringing rubble and boulders with the speed of 300 to 500 km per hour. Before people could understand anything 10feet high wave of water along with the rubble and boulders started to destroy anything and everything that came its way. The wave was so powerful that newly constructed cement concrete buildings lost their identity completely. It further struck shops, houses and then bus stand, BSNL base office, and hospital. It looked like the wave wished to bring to standstill the daily business transactions, transportation, communication and even health services. Only twenty minutes of game and the whole face of Leh was disfigured into devastation with collapsed buildings, dead bodies hanging on pillars and lying on the roads, and buried in rubble. The ten feet high sand and rubble completely destroyed the identity of the fast developing city outskirts.
The same story was repeated even with greater intensity in Choglamasar village where St. Peter’s School is situated. While in Leh the cloudburst took main road as its destination, in Choglamasar it had taken the village as its destination destroying over 500 houses and about 300 shops. The force of the water with rubble and boulders was so much that 400 houses are left with no sign. People who heard the noise initially could run away from the deadly water force. But those were a few handful lucky people. Some of them even did not get a moment to save their lives. Hundreds were buried under the rubble in their homes itself. At present, the death toll has risen upto 170 and still 500 people are estimated missing or dead. It destroyed bank, shops, houses occupying with rubble and boulders. It washed away bridges and temples and uprooted trees. The road connectivity between Leh-Manali is hampered for coming 20 to 25 days. Bridges on Leh-Srinagar road are also washed away. The army set to resume the traffic within 7-10 days.

The army was the first one to set up immediate rescue operation. The aim was to rescue maximum number of people who are under the rubble and boulders, broken houses and who were trapped under uprooted trees etc. The army also aimed at clearing the road and establishing road connectivity. After three days now the army is able to clear the road with a temporary bridge.

St. Peter’s Catholic Mission had narrow escape. The Indus River which is fifty meters away had swollen suddenly with water. The water reached upto the school. Yet, the school administration ignoring the rising water level threat jumped into action to assist rescue operation. With the help of Swami Radha Ji Satsang, an immediate food counter was set up to provide prepared food for those who had nothing to eat. The St. Peter’s School vehicle was made available to reach the injured to hospitals.

The school also sent its team to assess the exact ground level situation of destruction, loss of human lives and property and find whereabouts of the students studying in St. Peter’s School. It is sad to note that as per the information gathered till now, we have lost three students and many relatives of our students. Our thirty students’ houses are completely destroyed and about forty students have lost their all the household and academic things.

Please find the assessment report

Place : Choglamasar, Leh
Loss of Human lives : 400-500 (Estimated)
Recovered dead Bodies till now : 58
Houses Destroyed : 400-450
Houses damaged partially : 200
Houses filled with rubble & boulders : 150
People without shelter : 3000-3500
People without any household things : 3000-3500 (400-450 families)

At present, army has set up relief camp sheltering all these people and those people who have left their homes with the fear of cloudburst striking again. As per the information gathered from army officials, the army would continue to do the primary relief work.

It is suggested therefore that we could go for long term relief work in two phases.

First Phase relief work
1. Temporary shelters (tents)
2. Household things like utensils, gas stove, water containers, etc.
3. Medical aid (especially for those who cannot afford to buy medicines)
4. Clothing (warm cloths as winter would set in soon by end of this month)
5. Academic materials for children

Second Phase rehabilitation work
1. Repair of houses
2. Building of houses
3. Creating sanitation facilities
4. Water facilities
5. Road building