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FROM THE FIELD

Cyclone Aila survivor face food insecurity
09 Jul 2009 11:16:00 GMT
 Source: ActionAid International- India
Partha/Parvinder/ActionAid

Website: Website: http://www.actionaid.org/india/index.aspx

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'It is terrifying to live under an open sky with just a tarpaulin sheet as a cover.'
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'It is terrifying to live under an open sky with just a tarpaulin sheet as a cover.'
Nilayan/ActionAid

Background

•  Cyclone Aila

•  Food and hunger

•  South East Asia Monsoon

•  Hurricanes and cyclones

•  Floods

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"We want work that can put us back on our feet and at least get me money for food and building our homes."

Over a month after India's eastern coast of West Bengal was smashed by Cyclone Aila, ActionAid says the survivors have not received adequate relief and the destruction of their livelihoods is creating a situation of food insecurity.

"Its surprising that the media interest in the plight of Aila survivors has died down so quickly, while thousands of people are still homeless and have no livelihood to go back to," says Ashok Nayak, ActionAid programme officer involved with relief and rehabilitation work in some of the worst affected areas.

Fishing and agriculture destroyed

"I lost my fishing boat to the hungry tides of Aila. It was the only source of income for me and without the boat I can't feed my family of six. I am too old to do anything else," says Nitai Mondal, a 55-year-old fisherman from Boro Mollakhali Island in Sundarban. Almost all the agricultural land affected by the cyclone is not usable and the locals feel it [would] take longer than two years before crops can be grown. "My small piece of agricultural land is under sludge and saline water. It is the only source of livelihood for my family. The land here will become infertile for cultivation. It will take more than two years to recover," says Kuntibala, who runs a family of six and managed with three seasonal crops on a small plot of land that is now covered in sludge.

Lives washed away

Over 22,000 homes were destroyed in the villages where ActionAid partners are delivering relief in South 24 Parganas District. The loss of homes and possessions caused by the tidal waves which hit islands in the Sundarban area will need a large-scale and long-term engagement. "The houses that were washed away cannot be rebuilt and will have to be started from zero," says Partha Pratim Ray, ActionAid Programme Manager, who has been in the cyclone affected areas.

The makeshift relief camps that were running from school buildings have mostly shut down and people are being forced to return to their destroyed homes. Though the local village councils and civil society organisations are working on cleaning ponds and rebuilding embankments to prepare against flooding in the monsoon season yet these efforts are way short of what is needed.

"We want work that can us back on our feet and at least get me money for food and building our homes," says Tapan Mondal from Amtoli Purba Para, who has lost everything and is now living under the open sky with other villagers who also have lost their houses.

Currently ActionAid's team is in Patharpratima, Gosaba, Basanti, Hansnabad and Sandeshkhali blocks in South 24 Praganas District in West Bengal. "More money, state focus and planning is needed," says ActionAid International's emergencies advisor Unnikrishnan P V.

While the immediate needs of food, safe water and sanitation remains, there is a desperate need to rebuild community assets, start planning for cash for work programmes, livelihood regeneration.

Note of ongoing work by ActionAid in Aila impacted areas: Apart clearing debris, disinfecting and cleaning ponds and sanitising hand pumps with support from community capacity building of volunteers is being conducted for relief distribution of relief materials and strategy to reach out to those stuck in isolated areas.

Homeless and Vulnerable

"It is terrifying to live under an open sky with just a tarpaulin sheet as a cover. I hold it up all night long so that my kids can sleep," says Sushma Joarder with her teenage daughter clinging on to her. "I work in the paddy fields since I don't have my own land. But now there is no work, so no money," she says. The paddy fields in her village have got completely destroyed due to inundation by saline water brought in by the tidal waves. "It will take at least two seasons to grow paddy and other vegetables," adds Sushma. "I never used to fear the river, but post cyclone, I am scared to send my children to schools. They are on a different island," says Sushma, displaying a trauma from the disaster.

How can be god so cruel?

"Our land is covered in silt and salt from storm water. It will not grow anything at least for the next two seasons." With water all around her, 45-year-old Kuntibala Mondal is now forced to look for fish in storm water that covers most of Chimta village that was devastated by Cyclone Aila a month back. "I never did fishing. But now I am forced to, as this is all that I can do to feed my children" says Kuntibala with a blank face. She looks in the direction of her destroyed hut and says: "I have lost my house to the tidal waves. All my belongings were washed away in a blink." "Our land is covered in silt and salt from the storm water. It will not grow anything at least for the next two seasons," she laments. "How can god be so cruel?" she asks. Kuntibala used to work in her own field and grow paddy twice a year and sell it in the local vegetable market. "To support my six member family, I also used to work on others field. I used to earn at least Rs. 200 a day during the harvesting season. Now I have no money," she adds.

Cyclone took away my boat and livelihood

"I was in my boat when storm struck. The deadly tidal waves washed away everything in front of my eyes." "This jetty is now the only point of contact between people of this village and the outside world," says Nitai Mondal, pointing towards Bidyadhari River. He has been a fisherman for the past 30 years, and says that he has never seen a cyclone like this in his life. "I used to earn anything between Rs. 50 to 100 daily selling fish in the local market," he says. "I was in my boat when the storm struck. The deadly tidal waves washed away everything in front of my eyes," recalls Nitai. He jumped from the boat and swam to reach his house and family, but in the process lost his boat, as the boat crashed with the embankment and broke into pieces. "I owned the boat, but now I can't afford a new one as I have no money," says Nitai. "I am too old to go for an alternate profession. I don't know what will happen to me and my dependants," he adds.


[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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Topics

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•  Floods

•  Hurricanes and cyclones

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[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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Cyclone Aila - [Who works where]

Topics
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India

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