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By Panchali Ray Four months after Cyclone Aila, surveys reveal that only 1.38 kg of foodgrain are being distributed per adult per month, against a Famine Code requirement of 12 kg per head. No compensation for destroyed homes is forthcoming yet, and little work is being provided under NREGS. There is a dangerous unrest growing at state apathy, according to this special report from affected districts in West Bengal
 Hrishikesh Barui sits shivering in his wet clothes under a tarpaulin sheet, with his family of five including two small children. Nearby, another group of huddled villagers discuss news that they have received from the village of Dakshin Sitarampur. The rivers have burst their embankments and water has once again entered the villages. Inhabitants of the two villages of Indrapur and Dakshin Sitarampur, located in Pather Pratima block, South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal, stare in horror as embankments start giving way once again and saline water begins to enter their homes. A sense of déjà-vu grips them as heavy storms and incessant rain pounds the area, reminding people of May 21, 2009, when Cyclone Aila swept into their lives. Aila left a trail of destruction, devastation and hunger in its wake, as winds of up to 120 kph lashed Bangladesh, eastern India, and Myanmar, bringing heavy rain, storms and enormous tidal surges. It was the first time since 1989 that a cyclone of this magnitude had struck Bengal. The two districts most affected were North and South 24 Parganas. And the coastal mangrove islands of the Sunderbans, a fragile deltaic area especially vulnerable to natural disasters. According to government reports, 68 lakh people were affected by the cyclone in West Bengal alone; the total economic damage stood at between Rs 34,000 and 36,590 lakh. While official figures pin the death toll at 70, unofficial estimates point to 300 dead. Those who were spared lived to see their homes, livestock and means of livelihood washed away. Although three months have since passed, the situation has not changed much on the ground despite efforts by the government, NGOs and civil society. On the banks of the river, in Indrapur village, one encounters men and women who have lost everything to Aila. The mood is of anger and resentment; resentment against the bureaucrats and officials in power. Everywhere one hears complaints that the government is not doing enough -- the villagers are frustrated by the unavailability of food, safe drinking water, medical facilities and inadequate resources to rebuild their homes. Hrishikesh, who owned 1.5 acres of land, lost his home, household goods, livestock, and stored grain in the cyclone. He stares blankly at the river. “As it is there is a famine situation. There is no food, no water, no shelter. My aged parents and young children have been sitting in wet clothes with no protection from the rain. If the water comes again, we have no option but to be swept away with it this time.” He had tried to harvest his fields in July/August, but though he drained away the saline water, the soil was not yet ready and his crops died within a short span of four weeks. The villagers of Dakshin Sitarampur and Indrapur are living in temporary shelters with only a tarpaulin for protection against the fury of the monsoons, knee-deep in muddy, saline water. The rotting animal carcasses took over a month to be removed. There are no toilet facilities, especially for the women. Mosquitoes thrive in the stagnant water, making sleep impossible. Most children and old people suffer from diarrhoea and dehydration; almost everyone has a skin problem, fever, cold and cough. Though the government has distributed bleaching powder, ORS packets, halogen tablets, etc, it has not nearly been enough. In many villages, ration shops and kerosene dealers have opened their shops, although many villagers cannot use the facilities as they have lost their ration cards and identity papers in the storm. ICDS centres remain closed in many villages. The midday meal scheme had been discontinued in some areas, although it has resumed in others. In a situation where children and mothers are susceptible to illness and malnutrition, the villagers have demanded that these schemes be re-started. The relief manual, or ‘famine code’ as some call it, which exists in every state lays down norms to be followed by the state government in times of crisis. The manual in West Bengal states that gratuitous relief of 12 kg per adult and 6 kg per child per month must be provided in the event of a natural disaster. However, a survey done by Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity, a union of agricultural workers active at the grassroots level in two districts, shows that the government provided only 1.38 kg per head, or 11.5% of its own norm of 12 kg per adult. A month after the cyclone, almost 20% of the rice sanctioned in gratuitous relief remained undistributed in South 24 Parganas, and 5% in North 24 Parganas. Jaba Das alleges: “In this area, everyone is dependent on agriculture. With the embankments breaking and water coming in, saline water has destroyed the fertility of the fields. In July, farmers sowed their fields but all the crops died because of high levels of salinity. Stored food that acts as a buffer during lean times was also destroyed in the cyclone. We desperately need food and drinking water, otherwise we will starve to death.” Even under normal circumstances, fresh water is hard to come by in the Sunderbans which is a delta region with innumerable inlets for sea water. The mainstay of the region therefore is the tubewells that the government has installed. In the aftermath of the cyclone, sources of fresh water were badly affected with most ponds becoming saline Though the Sunderbans Development Board had given the responsibility of draining the ponds to NGOs, work has not begun in many places. Some villagers, instead of waiting for the authorities to do something, have started draining ponds with their own resources. The most heartbreaking sight remains that of scores of families sitting and waiting under tarpaulin sheets or large leaves hoisted on branches. With the onset of the monsoons and so few people living in proper houses, their misery has increased manifold. The relief department declared at the end of June that a survey of damaged houses had been completed; the lists had to be verified and publicly displayed for objections and revisions. After this procedure was over, each family would receive Rs 10,000 for a fully damaged house, and Rs 2,500 for a partly damaged house. This was to be the immediate relief; it was hoped that money for proper housing would follow. The villagers allege, however, that no lists have been put up nor has any money been received. Sukumar Das, a villager whose house was completely destroyed in the cyclone, says: “We have been living under a shelter made of leaves and branches near the river bank for the last three months. All over there is a stench that doesn’t seem to go away. Diarrhoea is rampant, yet no medical facilities have been provided to us. I have heard that the government will give compensation to all those who have lost their homes. But I think all these are just rumours because I don’t see anything at the ground level. No list, no money, nothing at all. It seems everyone has abandoned us.” Orders were given by the district magistrate of South 24 Parganas to relax the norms of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme so that work could be provided to those whose livelihood had been destroyed. In spite of these orders, work has not begun in many blocks. Wherever it has, workers say the minimum wage is not being paid. The order focused on emergency work of repairing embankments so that no further flooding would occur, especially during high tide. However, as bamboo was not made available by the irrigation department, work could not start. To make matters worse, many people did not have the confidence to take up NREGS work. Swapna Triparthi, an activist with the Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity says wages amounting to Rs 1.30 crore for work done by almost 8,000 workers under the scheme before the cyclone hit were due in South 24 Parganas. It was only after repeated local agitations, deputations and representations to the district magistrate, principal secretary (panchayat and rural development), leader of the opposition and, finally, Union Minister of State for Rural Development that the arrears were cleared. It took more than a month to get 95% of the amount paid. As a result, with wages due and no assurance that payment would be made regularly, people in the cyclone-affected areas were not inclined to take up fresh work under the NREGS. The people of the Sunderbans are unwilling to take this indifference lying down. Demonstrations and protests were staged targeting bureaucrats and government officials. A block development officer was beaten up; the chief minister himself was given a verbal lashing by an angry mob, and an MLA covered in mud in front of hundreds of press cameras. On August 17, a crowd of 315 people from villages destroyed by the cyclone entered the office of the district magistrate of South 24 Parganas district. They occupied his secretariat and the passages leading up to his office. For three hours, the office was filled with the clanging of empty metal plates, and slogans and songs. The main slogan was: ‘Give us food or jail us.’ Other demands ranged from an immediate inquiry into complaints of illegal sale of foodgrain meant for free distribution, transparency and public display of government lists for distribution of house-building relief, work under the NREGS, immediate payment of minimum wages, etc. While Aila has focused attention on the ecological vulnerability of coastal Bengal, especially the mangrove forests of the Sunderbans, the question remains: How can such future disasters be prevented? While it is well-known that the Bay of Bengal is prone to cyclonic storms, there has been no planning, implementation, or monitoring of disaster management programmes by the government. Kalyan Rudra, member of the National Flood Disaster Management Core Group, claims that no comprehensive study to assess the rate of coastal retrogradation in West Bengal has been carried out. Amongst the many reasons cited for the coastal retreat is the destruction of natural mangroves and rising sea levels related to global warming. Rudra alleges that the riverbeds are now so elevated that water flows at least two metres above the surrounding ground level during high tide. Embankments are often breached during cyclones, causing huge distress to villages nearby. While compensation and rehabilitation of people affected by Cyclone Aila must remain the government’s top priority, concrete steps have to be taken to mitigate the risks faced by people in coastal Bengal. Otherwise, not only is suffering and misery inevitable for all inhabitants of south Bengal during the monsoons, but the area itself is vulnerable to being swallowed up by the sea. (Panchali Ray is a PhD scholar at the School of Women’s Studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata) Infochange News & Features, September 2009 |
