New Delhi, July 29 -- Aankhein teri matar ke jaise/ Muh tera gobhi ke jaise/ Haath tera gajar ke jaise/ He bhagwan ek hi dost maanga/ Wo bhi subzi mandi ke jaise (Your eyes are like peas/ Your mouth like cauliflower/ Your hands are like carrots/ God, I only asked for one friend/ You gave me a vegetable patch).

The five-year-old living under Delhi's Signature Bridge recites the poem cheerfully. He is one of more than 50 children whose parents, Hindus from Pakistan, fled religious persecution and sought refuge in India. The group, numbering more than 200 people, is supported by Humanitarian Aid International (HAI), a Delhi-based organization working on refugee and disaster management.

But their new "home" lies on a floodplain. Every year,...