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Villagers beat govt in flood fight

Rampura (Sabong): Residents of an obscure West Midnapore village do something every year that the government should: prepare for floods in advance. Rampura village is flooded by the Keleghai river every monsoon, often several times in a year. Drained of funds and energy at having to rebuild their mudhouses every time they get washed away, the villagers don't build them now. They make tin-roof houses with walls of bamboo bark. During winter, they wrap the walls with tarpaulin sheets to keep the wind away.