4 June Alia update from Sundarbans Adaptation Center
15/06/09 13:56
Anurag Danda, director of the Sundarbans Adaptation Center, has been assisting with relief efforts in the region. Here’s the latest report I’ve received from him. Photos relating to this entry are located here. — JM
After our initial
relief support in Tipligheri and Kishorimohanpur as
well as discussions within the Unified Response
Group, it was felt that we should concentrate our
efforts in Lahiripur Gram Panchayat in Gosaba
Block. Accordingly, relief material was taken to
Tipligheri on Monday in Lahiripur GP. Part of the
relief material was also handed over to Lahiripur
EDC Convenor to start a community kitchen at 10 no.
Lahiripur. At Tipligheri, the community kitchen
started functioning on Tuesday.
This time, all the material was donated by HSBC Bank through the West Bengal State Office. Donated material included: Rice, Daal, cooking oil, onion, potato, pumpkin, flattened rice and jaggery, water, water purifier, medicines, plastic sheets, and fuel wood. There is enough material for five days for one meal a day.
We have also arranged for a boat to ferry freshwater to Tipligheri and 10 no. Lahiripur on a daily basis for at least another week beginning today.
We also covered five mouzas on foot to stock of the situation further inland. Three out of four mouzas were coverend in Lahiripur Gram Panchayat and two of three were covered under Choto Mollakhali Gram Panchayat. In all these mouzas agricultural land is still inundated with saline water as are the water bodies. Sadhupur and Lahiripur mouzas under Lahiripur GP, and Kalidaspur under Choto Mollakhali GP have extensive embankment damage. In fact, at Kalidaspur water is flowing in and out during high tide. It will get worse on 7 June coinciding with full moon.
Further inland, in Mollakhali Island in Hentalbari and Kalidaspur mouzas, people are stranded due to wash out of brick paved roads and twice a day flooding. These people can be reached only by dinghy boats. People like these are suffering the most because government and aid agencies are unable to reach them in the absence of an organised effort. In both these places due to our earlier presence we have the mechanism to help provided there are resources to do so.
While we were there in the Sundarbans we have started to dewater some of the ponds. These ponds will need some chemical treatment and refilling because there is not enough rain now to fill these ponds. While we are paying for diesel, pump owners within the hamlets have provided the pumps for free. The Lahiripur Gram Panchayat has provided two LPG cylinders for free at Tipligheri because it is not feasible to cart fuel wood from here in Kolkata. The Panchayat will also provide refills for these cylinders. I will also speak to the Sundarban Tiger Reserve authorities to see if they can take on the responsibility of daily water supply.
Since yesterday large government vessels with relief material have reached places like Lahiripur but two factors will hinder distribution to all affected, (i) political polarisation, and (ii) presence of aid agencies. In fact the argument is that places that are already being served need not be served. For example, other relief boats be it government or others are not touching Tipligheri and Kalidaspur because of initial relief by us and Baruipur Pally Unnayan Samiti at Kalidaspur. It is not being taken into account that non-government agencies have relative small resources compared to the government. This will need some sorting out.
Yesterday we also visited parts of the forest for about three hours. Although there is no sign of destruction but there is a strange stillness. We were able to spot only a few birds and a deer. This could be due to the time of the day. We entered the forest at 0930 hrs.
Best regards,
Anurag
This time, all the material was donated by HSBC Bank through the West Bengal State Office. Donated material included: Rice, Daal, cooking oil, onion, potato, pumpkin, flattened rice and jaggery, water, water purifier, medicines, plastic sheets, and fuel wood. There is enough material for five days for one meal a day.
We have also arranged for a boat to ferry freshwater to Tipligheri and 10 no. Lahiripur on a daily basis for at least another week beginning today.
We also covered five mouzas on foot to stock of the situation further inland. Three out of four mouzas were coverend in Lahiripur Gram Panchayat and two of three were covered under Choto Mollakhali Gram Panchayat. In all these mouzas agricultural land is still inundated with saline water as are the water bodies. Sadhupur and Lahiripur mouzas under Lahiripur GP, and Kalidaspur under Choto Mollakhali GP have extensive embankment damage. In fact, at Kalidaspur water is flowing in and out during high tide. It will get worse on 7 June coinciding with full moon.
Further inland, in Mollakhali Island in Hentalbari and Kalidaspur mouzas, people are stranded due to wash out of brick paved roads and twice a day flooding. These people can be reached only by dinghy boats. People like these are suffering the most because government and aid agencies are unable to reach them in the absence of an organised effort. In both these places due to our earlier presence we have the mechanism to help provided there are resources to do so.
While we were there in the Sundarbans we have started to dewater some of the ponds. These ponds will need some chemical treatment and refilling because there is not enough rain now to fill these ponds. While we are paying for diesel, pump owners within the hamlets have provided the pumps for free. The Lahiripur Gram Panchayat has provided two LPG cylinders for free at Tipligheri because it is not feasible to cart fuel wood from here in Kolkata. The Panchayat will also provide refills for these cylinders. I will also speak to the Sundarban Tiger Reserve authorities to see if they can take on the responsibility of daily water supply.
Since yesterday large government vessels with relief material have reached places like Lahiripur but two factors will hinder distribution to all affected, (i) political polarisation, and (ii) presence of aid agencies. In fact the argument is that places that are already being served need not be served. For example, other relief boats be it government or others are not touching Tipligheri and Kalidaspur because of initial relief by us and Baruipur Pally Unnayan Samiti at Kalidaspur. It is not being taken into account that non-government agencies have relative small resources compared to the government. This will need some sorting out.
Yesterday we also visited parts of the forest for about three hours. Although there is no sign of destruction but there is a strange stillness. We were able to spot only a few birds and a deer. This could be due to the time of the day. We entered the forest at 0930 hrs.
Best regards,
Anurag
