The unending fight for a roof in Thiruvananthapuram

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “I can never sleep. I keep waking up, fearing snake bites," says 50-year old B Vasantha, sitting in a makeshift shelter she has set up in her neighbour's compound. By stringing together a tarpaulin and her threadbare saris, Vasantha has managed to create a structure of sorts. Her belongings have been stacked up in the 7-foot wide shed, set against the backdrop of a thicket.

There are not many utensils, except for a puttu maker which doubles up as the cooking ware for almost all purposes. There is a bed, donated by her neighbour, which is balanced on a pile of rocks. A single bulb provides light, which she makes use of at night. But the light is never kept on, for she cannot afford it. 

A few feet away, her dilapidated house stands, or whatever remains of it, all wrecked by the recent floods. A walk into this house of hers is met by the loud barks of dogs, as four mongrels and three puppies kick up a racket. For, when the night falls, and the lights are all out, it is these canines who ensure her safety. Vasantha, along with her canine friends survives on the pension amount of Rs 1,100.

Ever since the floods hit, she has taken permanent shelter at what can only be called a dump, with just the tarpaulin and the saris offering protection. The floods washed away everything she had and she took shelter at the relief camp set up in a nearby school. After the camp closed she moved back, not to her home, but to the shack.

"The owner has never asked me to move out. But I don't how long I can go on living in a place like this," says Vasantha who resides at the Estate ward in Kunjimala. When it drizzled here in the city on Monday, Vasantha was concerned. "The water leaked from across all of these holes. If it rains for half an hour, the whole area gets flooded," she says.

Although Vasantha will get money as part of the government's housing scheme, that may not be enough. The house lies in a sunken spot and unless constructed on a raised platform, it has chances of getting flooded again. "I do not have enough money. And although many people have asked me to move out of this place, I have no option left.

I have nowhere else to go to," says Vasantha who lost her husband 30 years ago. All she has to call her own is her daughter and the dogs who keep her company. Her daughter was married off to a daily wager in Tamil Nadu. "But I cannot go and live with them. They are battling their own problems," sighs Vasantha.