The North-East region of India, specifically the state of Assam is susceptible to floods, especially during the monsoon season. For the past many years, this has wreaked havoc in several districts of the state, bringing lives to a standstill. Morigaon, over the years has been among the worst hit districts. Last year during monsoons, water inundated several villages of Morigaon resulting in loss of human life, damage to property, destruction of crops, loss of livestock, non-functioning of infrastructure facilities and deterioration of health conditions. With the conventional power source damaged by the floods, just as the inhabitants were getting hopeless, Envo Renewable Energy Services Private Limited (ERES) along with Morigaon Mahila Mehfil (MMM) took up the task of setting up Integrated Energy Centres (IECs) – solar powered charging units providing charging facility for solar powered portable lights and mobile phones. They also solarised a rescue boat with the goal of rendering immediate 24X7 rescue assistance to people as well as for its long-term usage in times of similar crisis. With the boat being solarised, the collaborative rescue efforts were extended during nights as well.
“During rescue operations, our boatman reached out to the marooned people without a break during the day. However, often his phone ran out of charge, and he was unable to connect with us during such emergency situations. We also could not rescue people at night. After ERES’s intervention, the boat has become a rescue medium 24 hours a day. Subsequently, the number of people rescued as compared to previous times has gone up considerably” shares Wahida Rehman, Secretary, MMM.”
The boat proved invaluable in negotiating strong floodwater undercurrents and whirlpools, that had limited the rescue operation in the interiors at night. Solarising the boat, with two port lights in front of the boat, one focus light, two tube lights inside the boat, two stern lights at the back and a five-channel mobile charging station, delighted the people including the rescue team as it now made the rescue efforts incredibly effective. ERESs immediate concern was to provide people with electricity which could have taken months to restore as compared to providing food and water, which could be supplied easily. To help people affected by the calamity, four centres were marked out at different locations of Laharighat Block to set up Integrated Energy Centres (IECs) with the help of volunteers from different villages of Morigaon. Despite facing lots of hurdles during installation, including harsh weather and tough routes, the ERES and MMM teams were able to complete installation work in every centre within the scheduled time, thereby providing respite to 120 households. Soon after, the 4 Integrated Energy Centres (IECs) at different locations of Morigaon became income generation options to the families where people came to charge their mobile phones and chargeable lights. The caretakers charged a minimum amount of INR 10 per night for charging a single device, out of which, a small percentage was given to MMM for system maintenance. Because of the Integrated Energy Centres (IECs), children were now able to access light till late evening for uninterrupted study. Moreover, people used night hours in a more productive manner. The gloominess of the residents was taken away by the consistent light source. Caretakers of Integrated Energy Centres (IECs) also got a stable source of income.
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