Mohammad Siddique risks his life as he refuses to leave his home. Photo: David O' Hare/Trόcaire
“We know there is danger but we will not leave our village. Our homes are all we have and we can’t abandon them.” For Mohammad Siddique and the people of the village of Billaualpur in Sindh in southern Pakistan the fear of losing all they have is too much to take.
This is one of the poorest parts of the country and has been particularly badly hit by the recent floods.
New flood threats are being issued every day but nevertheless Mohammad and others refuse to leave their homes. Their village has been partly flooded already and is surrounded by floodwater. It is totally cut off and can only be accessed by boat.
“We have sent the women and children to the government camps where they will be safe if there is more flooding but we are staying,” said Mohammad. “We want to try to save something from the water. We are also scared that if we leave then someone will come and steal our possessions.”
Mohammad and the other men are taking a big risk by staying in their village as there are fears that a nearby flood defence could give way at any time.
Caritas has been funding rescue operations in this area for almost a month, which includes providing emergency food rations.
Food is running short in the village and Caritas will be providing emergency food rations for the people in the coming days.
This blog first appeared on the Trócaire website
