Damage has also been done to another 10 per cent of the working looms in the low lying areas. Currently about half of the 4.5 lakh powerlooms in Bhiwandi have been left unoperative.

The demand for fabrics generally picks up after the shradh paksha for festive sales during Dasserah and Diwali. This time around, there isn't much activity so far, says Kantibhai Gandhi, director, Bhiwandi Textile ManufacturersAssociation. So even if the demand picks up, the looms rendered out of order may not start for another month.

Even Surat powerloom industry is going through a crisis. Here about 45 per cent of the looms were submerged under flood waters and may not resume work for another month at least. It is therefore expected that the orders going to the Surat powerlooms will be diverted to Bhiwandi.

However, Surat powerlooms use 100 per cent polyester yarn and mainly weave sarees and dress materials whereas Bhiwandi looms use mainly blended yarn for weaving suitings and dress materials. Again, Bhiwandi caters to the lower end of the market and produces mass consumption items. Surat makes fancy stuff for middle class consumption. Hence, not much of orders normally going to Surat will flow to Bhiwandi, say traders at Bhiwandi.

In Bhiwandi, there are about one lakh weavers with an average holding of four looms. Here the loom owners may not necessarily be the weaver.

Typically, a person called master weaver gives theyarn wound on the beam and designs to these weavers who just weave the fabric of the given specification. The master weaver takes back this fabric to supply to the garment manufacturers or to the traders. The weaver gets only the conversion cost and does not need to take financial risk by investing in purchase of yarn or wait till the sale proceed materialises.

However, this risk-free system can also render them idle when the master weavers can not place orders with them. Most of the weavers remain loyal to their master weaver even if they have to remain idle for the fear of losing business.

Predominantly, weavers in Bhiwandi are descendents of the weavers who fled north India after 1857 mutiny and settled down en-route the grand trunk in Burhanpur, Malegaon and Bhiwandi.

They still remain artisans and have not acquired marketing skills and hence suffer when their master weavers too can not push in the current competitive textile market. The new generation entrepreneurs have edged out these traditionalcommunity of weavers who earn only for their labour.

Another main hindrance in Bhiwandi is the power shortage but it is rather self-created than a genuine problem. Here, anybody and everybody - be it a household or a manufacturing unit, steals power. One simply hooks on to the power cables and draws electricity free of cost, admits a weaver candidly. The MSEB has started charging every loomholder Rs 160 per day. Nevertheless, unauthorised connections drawn so far continue to congest the lines and the power problem is here to stay.