Ladakh Flood Appeal - For OldTown, Leh

Between the 4th and the 7th of August, flash floods hit several villages across the vast region of Ladakh (in the state of Jammu & Kashmir), from Changthang near the Indo-Tibetan border, down to Da-Hanu near the Indo-Pakistani border. The worst devastation occurred in the early hours of August 6th when a cloud burst over the two adjoining valleys of Leh (the main town of Ladakh) and the village of Sabu. In addition to the number of people deceased, missing, and homeless, Ladakh's main civilian hospital was flooded and all its vital equipment ruined, crops destroyed, roads and bridges washed away, communication crippled, and electricity and water supplies damaged.

We are glad to be able to report that several Woodstock alumni are heavily involved in the relief efforts:

• From the government side there is Reuben Gergan '03, he normally works as a project engineer with Ladakh Renewable Energy Development Group but is currently co-coordinating the Information Bank for Relief.
• Running a kitchen with a network of local restaurants. LAMO is already running a kitchen for poor and displaced locals and migrants. The vegetables and supplies are both expensive and difficult to obtain so any contributions to this effort are welcome.
- In the NGO sector there is Monisha Ahmed '84 and Sharon Sonam '04. Monisha founded LAMO (Ladakh Arts and Media Organization) with her friend Ravina Aggarwal in 1997; both of them have been working in Ladakh for over twenty years - Monisha is the author of Living Fabric - Weaving amongst the Nomads of Ladakh Himalaya, Ladakh - Culture at the Crossroads and Pashmina - The Kashmir Shawl and beyond. Monisha is the Executive Director of LAMO and Sharon the Projects Officer.

LAMO is a public charitable trust set up to articulate an alternative vision for the arts and media in Ladakh with a strong emphasis on community connections. LAMO is established just below Leh Palace and above the old town which was one of the worst affected areas in the flash flood. It is largely inhabited by low-income and migrant communities as well as artisans and musicians. LAMO has three urgent rehabilitation projects for which they need immediate funds. They have contacted Woodstock to publicise this need, and we are glad to do so.

1. Immediate relief
• Provide tents, rations, clothes, blankets, medicines to the people living in the area.
• Removal of silt in people's homes where possible (in some cases the mud came down and totally filled the first floor of houses) and providing some temporary structural relief/support where it is needed. For this work they have hired labour, a contribution of even Rs 345 will cover the cost for hiring one worker per day.
2. Long term
• Rehabilitation and rebuilding with shelter being the most important component, especially with the coming of winter in a month's time. Since we will not be able to build homes before the onset of winter this year we will be looking at alternative accommodation for the residents, probably in the form of rented accommodation. Building will take place next year, probably starting in April.
• Conducting a disaster assessment in the Old Town to determine how many homes are affected and property damaged.
• Working with structural architects to design homes that are based on traditional building techniques but are also sensitive to earthquakes and rain.



Water Watch

LAMO will enhance its work on urban water management and set up a community watch program to monitor the flow and level of water throughout Ladakh's glaciers, lakes, streams and rivers. This practice used to be prevalent in Ladakh at one time and LAMO will work on reviving and revitalizing this framework. The information will be disseminated to the public and policymakers through radio, television, websites and blogs.

3. Interim
• LAMO is setting up a Child Friendly Centre on its premises to work with children from the nearby affected areas of Old Town.

* Woodstock School is supporting this effort through its Chaplaincy disaster emergency fund.