“Why is God so angry with us?” Asked Manik Pradhan, pointing to huge areas of cropland with useless fish floating round as embankments broke with saltwater in close by ponds.
Picking up a big useless ‘katla’ fish present in Kolkata’s wholesale markets for wherever between Rs 1,000-1,500, Pranab Mondal mentioned, “Our condition is like this fish, it died because salt water entered the pond. Gaya and we are as good as dead after back-to-back disasters. First, it was Cyclone Amphan, then COVID and now, Yas. “
Jana and Mandal are amongst 1000’s residing in Namkhana block – one of many worst affected within the Sunderbans area of West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, who’ve misplaced their houses and livelihoods as a result of cyclone.
Jana, a resident of Narayanpur village, was planning to construct the roof of his home this summer season with a grant from the federal government.
“I started working at home last year, completed the structure and got the first installment of Rs 60,000. A few weeks ago, I bought construction materials and hoped to put on a roof but then a cyclone arrived. Everything was washed away, ”he mentioned.
“I cultivated brinjal and bottle gourd this season. Everything is destroyed. I don’t know what we will do for the next one year,” he mentioned, attempting very arduous to carry again his tears.
The freeway, which results in Namkhana and ends on the seashore in Bakkhali, was suffering from vans and pick-up vans from far and vast carrying reduction supplies – efforts had been largely led by neighborhood golf equipment.
Tapas Banerjee was a part of a bunch that introduced dry meals and different reduction materials from Asansol, about 300 km away.
“We collected relief material from the people of our region in Burnpur and came here. As part of Nababikaash Club, we try to help people throughout the year. Apart from this, we have given Rs 1 lakh to the state government for relief efforts,” he mentioned, managing an enormous queue of individuals gathered for puffed rice, flattened rice and packets of child meals.
“First, we went to Mousuni Island. What we noticed there was appalling – there was nothing left. Tourist camps have been washed away. Seawater entered the reservoirs the place the prawns had been cultivated, killing all of the produce.
Banerjee mentioned, “I don’t really know how these people will survive,” Banerjee mentioned, as somebody mentioned, “We purchased 15 kilos of shrimp for Rs 150 per kg on our manner. We cannot resist The worth of prawns of this dimension was often Rs 600-650 per kg.
Block Development Officer Shantanu Singha Thakur advised PTI that out of the seven panchayat areas of Namkhana, Mousuni Island, which has turn out to be a preferred camp website over time, is probably the most affected.
“As per 2011 census the inhabitants of the block is round 2 lakh and about 50 per cent of the inhabitants is affected. More than the cyclone, the celestial tides that occurred as a result of full moon on that day have affected the area. It is below management now and we’re working around the clock. “
“We followed all COVID protocols and moved 62,000 people to rescue centers before the cyclone. We are currently operating 162 community kitchens to provide cooked meals twice a day and serve them breakfast,” Thakur mentioned.
The workplace of the sphere station Thakur was additionally submerged in water until two days in the past for rescue and reduction efforts. Much of the complicated was nonetheless submerged in water and officers typically stumbled upon fish resembling ‘koi’ and ‘shoal’.
“In the last one week, we have barely had time to find out whether it is day or night. We are working here, eating and taking naps, ”mentioned an officer pointing to the makeshift mattress in his cabin.
“We try to succeed in out to the folks with all the assistance as quickly as doable. Hopefully, the state of affairs will enhance because the ‘mora kotal’ or low tide variation has arrived,” he mentioned, refusing to be named, as he was not licensed to talk to the media.
While listening to the dialog, an individual working within the BDO workplace mentioned, ‘You ought to have requested him why such a state of affairs occurs each time? Why are embankments not fabricated from concrete?
“They will build earthen embankments every year and they will be broken. What is the use? We will live like this for the rest of our lives, it seems,” he mentioned earlier than stepping out to assist an officer with some work.
Outside the complicated, a truck was parked with a machine which was taking out pouches of ingesting water.
If operated from 7 am to 11 pm, it may produce 80–90,000 pouches of 200 ml. It has come all the way in which from Burdwan, with the supervisor stating that he saved a log and motivated the employees to make sure zero wastage.
In addition, 2,000 liter tankers are being despatched to villages on motorized vans because the ingesting water disaster has engulfed the world.
Shibshankar Mandal, who runs one such van, mentioned that though the work was painstaking, it gave him some satisfaction that he’s serving to those that are dealing with such difficulties.
“I live in Kakdwip block and my house is also under water. But, I could manage to save my van,” mentioned Mandal, who in any other case ferry folks.
“These tanks are used during the Gangasagar Mela, and were lying in the store. It is good that someone thought of using it now,” he mentioned, including that he was being paid Rs 1,500 per day with sufficient petrol – a boon provided that he earned Rs 700-800 a day earlier, But it stopped as a result of lockout. .
Thakur mentioned that ingesting water was being supplied in 60-70 per cent of the world as tube wells have been broken resulting from saline water.
He mentioned, ‘I can’t say that the allegations made on the embankments are completely false. This work is completed by the Irrigation Department. We have raised this difficulty with them. The reality {that a} cyclone has hit the area each six months within the final three years; So we couldn’t get minimal time to implement long run resolution.”
“However, the department has been told that the new embankment should remain for a long time. Also, apart from the cracks, the tidal waves were so huge that the water flowed into the villages. The tidal waves were about 12-13 feet high, and to deal with this, we need to build an embankment as high as the Great Wall of China,” the BDO mentioned.
At the top of the freeway at Bakkhali seashore, about 25 km away, some outlets promoting mushy drinks and cigarettes had piles of sand.
“The sea waves touched the outlets a few kilometer away. Look for the sand dunes contained in the fridge. I have no idea the way to clear it, and the machine has stopped working now.
“I invested Rs 20,000 for the fridge. If it seems to be non-functional, what’s going to I do?” One shopkeeper mentioned, when he received busy with a bunch of Bhangor, who went to wash on the seashore after distributing reduction materials.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
