The flood affected person started making samosas in the camp

The recent floods in Punjab’s Ravi river displaced Mumtaz Hussain, a resident of the theme park who made a living selling samosas, and washed away all his belongings, but in this displacement he has found a new source of employment.

Mumtaz, a father of eight children, has taken shelter in a tent built by an NGO ‘Aghaz-e-Sahar’ on Multan Road and instead of living on handouts, he has now set up a stall selling samosas.

More than 39 lakh people have been affected by the worst floods in Punjab so far and more than 4000 small and big villages and urban settlements have become the sight of flood rails. Due to the presence of water in the flood-affected areas, the restoration work could not be started.

There are hundreds of skilled workers in government and NGO relief camps who want to start their work again, but most of them do not have enough money to start their work.

In the same situation, the organization that helps the flood victims, the start of dawn, has started the work of reviving the small businesses after surveying the people in their camps.

Mumtaz Hussain earns Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 a day by selling samosas at Rs 10 per samosa (Arshad Chaudhry/Independent Urdu).

Mumtaz Hussain, who set up his stall with the help of this organisation, told Independent Urdu: ‘I have been staying with the children in the camp for 10 days. Before the flood, he was running the household expenses by selling samosas. Now one’s conscience is guilty of living on one’s handouts, so I told them (the managers) that I have to start making samosas again, so they brought me cylinders, plates, ghee, flour and spices etc. I have started making samosas in the camp and selling them at roadside stalls.’

Mumtaz earns Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 a day by selling each samosa at Rs 10, which he says is ‘a lot to spend.’

He said: ‘I have seven daughters and one son, six of whom are married. Now a son and a daughter, two husband and wife. I can only earn for four people.’

Mumtaz is hopeful that as soon as the water dries up, he will rent a house elsewhere, because, according to him, ‘I don’t think it is appropriate to live like this for a long time as a burden on someone.’

Basit Baloch, official of ‘Aghaz-e-Sahar’, told Independent Urdu: ‘We are not only housing the victims but also trying to get them back on their feet. In the first phase we have selected 20 such victims in the survey, who earned their livelihood from small businesses. We are making them start working by giving them an aid of 10,000 to 50,000.

Like Mumtaz Hussain, Zahoor Ahmed, who lives in the camp with his family, told Independent Urdu: ‘I work as an electrician, the house has been flooded. Now I am starting my work again to take care of the children. 15,000 has been given to me by this organization, with which I will buy my tools and start working as an electrician again.’

According to Zahoor: ‘I will be able to bear the expenses of my children by myself after starting work.’