SOCIETY FOR INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL ACTION

Vill. + PO: Raidighi, dist.: 24 Paraganas(S), Sundarban

Pin-743383, West Bengal, India Email: sidsaindia@gmail.com

Mob: 91-9732672348

A Report: Cyclone Aila Emergency Response in the Area of Block

Mathurapur-II of South 24 Paraganas, West Bengal, India, Pin-743383,

October 2009

Disaster Aila at Sundarban:

The destruction-Count

More than 200 people are reported dead and an estimated 3 million displaced

from their homes after a high velocity

cyclone (120kph) hit Southern Bengal

on 25th May 2009 devastating

thousands of life. Worst hit areas have

been the islands of Sunderban. Cyclone

Aila, unleashed a four-meter high tidal

surge and flooded low-lying regions

overflowing the embankments washing

off thousands of households completely and making a landfall in Sunderbans

and coastal areas of southern West Bengal. The coastal belt and river side

villages were mostly affected and destroyed due to Aila. According to the

Government of West Bengal estimate about 50 Lakhs people are affected.

‘We lost every thing that mattered to us. Paddy that we

cultivated last Kharif has been completely washed off. What will

we depend on now? We are left with only this single saree

(cloth) that we are wearing.’ This was the cry of the hour.

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Vast stretches of these districts looked like a reconstructed battlefield. Trees

were uprooted, mud houses were flattened, and community trapped into several

pockets. Sea wave gushed into land in different places and submerged paddy

fields, sweet water ponds, roads completely. Even around the coastal areas Aila

snapped electricity and swathe telecommunication making it completely

isolated from the main land.

The biggest long term loss has

been of the land asset. With long

stretch of guard wall collapsing

due to strong tidal waves making

gushing saline water enter the

land encroaching sweet water

areas and leaving a long term

impact on that.

Other than loss of human life

there has been beyond count loss of livestock making the population in further

loss economically.

According to the Press Trust of India (PTI),

13 districts in the state of West Bengal

have been hit. However, the islands in the

ecologically diverse Sunderbans delta have

borne the brunt of the cyclone. Those

displaced are suffering acutely due to lack

of food and clean water.

Mathurapur II Block, South 24 Pargana

District

Mathurapur II block is the facing west

wards towards the river. The worst affected

areas of the block were Jagannath Chak of

Nandakumarpur Gram Panchayats and

Maitirgheri, Singhergheri and Uttar

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Area visit by Sister Fanny and SIDSA authorities

Kumrapara villages of Kumrapara Gram Panchayet, Sipaipara, Naskarpara and

Mirpara of Kankandighi GP, Srifaltala (East and West), Munda para of Raidighi

GP which are on the southern fringe of the block. Apart from direct river lashing

areas have also been affected due to high velocity storm.

Survival strategy

By evening population of the villages could come to terms about the situation

and tried to move to safer places. People came to the schools and other

highlands tops.

Community started there own struggle against

the odds. Community stretched their hands of

support to each other. Those who were less

affected gave space to the homeless before any

support could reach and affected people could

move to relief camps. People slowly started shifting to relief camps, on high road

sides to find a shelter for their family. Community cooking started to provide

minimum food. But the biggest concern that was arising soon was the cry for

drinking water. Sanitation and hygiene condition was deteriorating fast.

Humanitarian Support

"There is water everywhere. We could reach aid to only 10 percent

of the affected population. We could not even airdrop food packets

because of the flooding," Kanti Ganguly, West Bengal state minister

of Sundarbans Affairs Dept., told Reuters, as quoted in the

Washington Post.

In this situation, Sister Fanny Perregaux from Switzerland and ICOD extended

her hands of support for the victims of Mathurapur- II Block through ‘Society

for Integrated Development & Social Action (SIDSA). Society for Integrated

Development and Social Action (SIDSA) being the most active and experienced

NGO in this region (working since 1987) immediately started its relief activities

with support from Sister Fanny Perregaux.

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Support of different forms like food grains, dry food, emergency medicines and

drinking water were mobilized to the affected villages of Mathurapur-II.

Emergency relief wing was formed

along with local volunteers. Initially

it was difficult to have access to the

interior areas of the island villages,

but subsequently those were

reached. Fourteen medical camps

were organised in different locations

to support to the needs of 4000

cyclone and flood affected home less

people. Some Community ponds were identified and dewatered for community

use.

Detailed report on support

In a period of 15 days (June 01-June 15 2009) SIDSA reached the interiors of

the four Gram Panchayats most affected

in person and stood beside the affected

to share their devastation.

Aila Response programme with a 15

member team reached the affected

villages within 4 days of the devastation

and started its humanitarian relief

program entitled ‘SIDSA Relief

programme Aila Affected Sundarban Villagers’.

The emergency relief program comprised of some immediate relief activity

accompanied with some preventive and curative aspects for long term effect.

They include the following:

Relief-

• Safe drinking water supply.

• Dry food support for the affected people in two rounds

• Milk distribution for children

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1st round dry food distribution

• Candles and matches for affected

Curative-

• Medical Camps for the affected people

Preventive-

• Mosquito Prevention Programme (Health counseling focusing on

sanitation and hygiene)

• Mosquito net distribution

At a glance report of the support in different Gram Panchayats-

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Date Programmes Where No.of Beneficiaries (Family)

01st June to

15th June

2009

Safe drinking

water supply

Rescue Centre at Jagannath

Chak of Nandakumarpur GP

and Maitirgheri and

Singhergheri of Kumrapara

GP.

2000

01st June to

7th June 2009

14 Medical

Camps

( Homoeopathy)

for the affected

people

Maitirgheri and Singher Gheri

of Kumrapara Gram

Panchayet.

700

• 8th

June’09-1

0th

June’09

Food Support of

Rice-2 Kg Musur

Dal-400gm.and

Biscuit- 1 Pkd.

for the affected

people

• Nandakumarpur

• Kumrapara GP

• Raidighi

• Kankandighi

• 300

• 500

• 100

• 100

• Total

1000

Families• 25th – 27th

June ‘09

Pond

Dewatering of

nine community

ponds

• Three villages of

Kumrapara

• 450

families

• 11th-13th

July ‘09

Distributed

powdered milk

of Amul 50

gram packet per

children of the

age 0-5 years

• Kankandighi (3 villages)

• Kumrapara (4 villages)

• Nandakumarpur ( 1 village)

• Raidighi (1 village)

• 205

• 591

• 135

• 69

• 14th -15th

July ‘09

Candle and

Matches

distribution for

affected families

• Nandakumarpur (1 village)

• Kumrapur (2 villages)

• Raidighi (2 villages)

• 300

• 500

• 200

• 1st of

September

’09

Rice

distribution 3

kg per family

• Kankandighi (3 villages)

• Raidighi (3 villages)

• Kumrapur (4 villages)

• 110

• 80

• 168• 2nd-3rd of

September

‘09

Mosquito net

one per family

• Nandakumarpur (1 village)

• Kankandighi (4 villages)

• Raidighi (3 villages)

• Kumrapara (6 villages)

• 176

• 191

• 169

• 464

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A. Relief

1. Safe drinking water supply-

‘Water Water every where not a single drop to

drink’. In literary sense the area represented

the same. People were thirsty but did not get

water to drink; only a packet of water was all

what the family of five head. Saline water was

every where, tube wells, drinking water taps

were submerged under water. Even after the

water subsided after 7 days the water source

program were not suitable and safe for using

as they were contaminated. Under this

condition the program distributed packaged drinking water continuously for 15

days in all four areas of work. It reached 2000 beneficiaries at their homes with

water everyday by the organisation.

2. Powdered Milk Distribution-

Children between 0-5 year’s age

were one of most affected groups in

the cyclone. They had no proper

hygienic nutritious food and it was

not safe for them to have

community food. Although children

above 2 years survived on that for

many days before powdered milk in

small units could be supplied to

them to maintain their nutrition level. Specially milking mothers were not able

to milk their children at they themselves were on low nutrition. So the program

to distribute powdered milk was off great support to the mothers as well as

children. Total of 1000 children received packet milk support in 9 villages of 4

GPs’.

3. Dry food support

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Safe drinking Water Supply by SIDSA

Dry food like rice, dal, and biscuits were rushed to the affected villages

immediately within four days of damage. Houses and all there belongings

washed away in the running water.

Most were only left with what they

were wearing. They needed food

support and so dry foods were

distributed through central camps

in two rounds. During first round

1000 households received this

support. After every thing settled

down another support of lesser

number 358 of families (3 Kg. rice per family) was given in worst affected area

that needed further support.

Name of Gram

Panchayet

No of villages No. of family benefited

Raidighi 3 villages 80 familyKumrapara 4 villages 168 family

Kankandighi 3 villages 110 familyTotal 3 GPs 10 villages 358 family

4. Candles and matches to affected-

It was a great response shown by Sister

Fanny Perregaux during her stay in the

villages along with the affected. She felt

for the population when she saw the

households sinking into darkness at

night with only a lamp (kerosene oil

supported) was lighting there houses.

This light neither provided much glow,

more kerosene was costly and thirdly with one blow it could easily go off. She

responded to the situation by giving 1000 affected family with a candle and

match box (Per family one candle and one match box)

Name of Gram

Panchayet

No of villages No. of family benefited

Raidighi 2 villages 200 families

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2nd round dry food distribution

Kumrapara 4 villages 500 familiesNandakumarpur 1 villages 300 families

Total 3 GPs 7 villages 1000 families

B. Curative health care support

1. Health camps-

Fourteen health camps in one GP

were opened to provide immediate

health support that originated as an

after affect of cyclone. In 7 days it

reached to 700 families on different

health grounds. People felt the need

for these health camps and long

queue could be observed each day.

Through these camps medicines were also provided to the affected people.

C. Preventive health care-

1. Mosquito Prevention programme focusing on health and hygiene:

Curative health alone could not

be stopped the situation of

malaria epidemic outbreak if

population at large were not

explained. During the

programs, an emphasis was

placed by SIDSA on

acquainting affected people

about their health and hygiene

during the time of disaster post

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period. Through SHG, mother and community meetings mosquito preventive

massages were addressed to the community by the organisation in four Gram

Panchayet areas.

2. Distribution of mosquito nets

In the second round the needs started

coming in for mosquito nets as the

logged water were becoming breeding

grounds of mosquitoes. One net per

family was distributed in 14 villages

of 4 GPs’. A total of 1000 household

received the nets.

Need based support required in for Mathurapur II block, where work is going on

are-

Long term rehabilitation programme for the disaster affected people in this region needs

to be planned and implemented immediately as the destruction has been both long term

and short term. People are now striving for income to meet their basic needs. Major

emphasis should be given on reconstruction of houses (both by grant and community

participation), livelihoods and preventive health care support. SIDSA is already actively

working in these areas through its various programmes like Targeting women with

disabilities. A planning is to be made for building of low cost disaster resistant houses

with community participation and strengthening of livelihoods programme. Issues like

migration, school-dropout, child labour and abuse, trafficking etc should be kept in close

vigil.

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Sister fanny gives boiling food to some flood

affected hunger people of Sundarban

Meeting with women group leaders for Beneficiary

selection of mosquito net distribution

Providing of dry foods to the affected area

Distribution of Dry foods to the affected villagers

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