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Victims of Aila battle against odds

Shagufta Kalim

On the surface it seems that Sunderban, the area worst affected by Cyclone Aila, is gradually limping back to normalcy. Yet, reality tells a different story. The reason is that the ravage unleashed by the May 25 mayhem has been so severe that life returning to its previous course is still a distant thought.

While the government came to the rescue, many non-governmental agencies, too, have been constantly making efforts to reach out to the people in distress. And they insist that what has been done so far is definitely not enough. Members of Tiljala Sheds, an NGO from Kolkata, recently visited the area with relief material funded by Germany’s Misereor, and according to the visiting team the "rehabilitation of the victims is definitely a very tough job at hand".

Tiljala Shed’s joint secretary Mohammad Alamgir points out, "The one most damaging aspect of the cyclone was the destruction of the embankment which used to prevent the sea water from entering the land during high tide (twice daily). As a result of this, water-logging has become a regular feature and this saline water is destroying, whatever crops that survived the disaster. Further it is causing so much damage to the soil that cultivation on the affected areas is next to impossible. The cost of repairing the embankment is astronomical."

According to K. Kannan, communications manager, Oxfam India, "Oxfam has been proactively involved in the relief work for the cyclone-affected families. Our team recently conducted an assessment in North 24 Paraganas — Hingalganj Block of the Sandeshkhali area — following discussions with Save the Children and Unicef, who are working in the other areas of North 24 Paragnas, to identify the unfulfilled needs and lack of agency presence in the area." Specifying the areas, which require urgent measures to curb the crisis, he says, "Scarcity of drinking water is a major issue, health and hygiene remain the major concern since dead carcasses still lie around the location, toilets and septic tanks remain underwater, plants and vegetation in inundated areas are dying on account of salty water, water has not drained out completely in major areas."

To that Alamgir adds, "The direct fallout of the current living condition of the villagers is on their health. The unhygenic conditions have resulted in common ailments like diarrhoea, skin infection, malnutrition and fever."

There have been efforts to reconnect the rehabilitated children and bring a semblance of normalcy. One such initiative was taken by Employees of Lafarge (India). They travelled to Sunderbans and distributed books and other stationaries. Uday Khanna, CEO of the company, feels, "Such gestures will be a positive reinforcement for children to start attending school and getting back to normal life."

Though the efforts continue, the fact is it’s been three months of severe hardship, and the plight of the Aila-affected people still remains a cause of concern. A week ago, around 300 of them demonstrated outside the district magistrates office for several hours, demanding proper rations.