Agriculture and Livelihood After AILA

1 Development Research Communication and Services Centre 58A Dharmotala Road, Bosepukur, Kasba, Kolkata - 700042 Phone : 91-33-2442 7311, 24411646 [email protected] www.drcsc.org 2 1. Introduction On 25th May cyclone ‘AILA’ devastated the life and livelihood of the people living in Sunderban deltaic region. People living here mainly depend on agriculture and allied activities for their livelihood. AILA has deprived them of their only source of income. Among the 12 affected districts of West Bengal, the damage in North & South 24 Parganas has been the maximum. Out of the total crop affected area of 2,56,750 ha in all the 12 districts, the share of North 24 Parganas is 55, 600 ha and that of South 24 Parganas is 69, 150 ha. Saline water gushed in through breaches in the river dykes and inundated houses and lands. Under the present conditions, almost 60% of the area in these 2 districts has been rendered uncultivable and not suitable for making seedbed. It has caused a havoc in 5 Blocks (Sandeshkhali-I, II, Minakhan, Hasnabad and Hingalganj) of North 24 Parganas. In Canning II about 1300 bighas of land is under saline water. 600 families in Tambuldaha I and Sarengabad GPs of Canning II block and 2200 families in Bermajur I & II GPs of Sandeshkhali II block lost their houses. They are now residing on the roadside in small makeshift huts or have taken shelter in relief camps and schools. Only in North 24 Pgs., livestock loss amounts to a whopping 1,17,332. Loss of domestic animals was caused not only by the cyclone, but also by high tide that followed. In Sandeshkhali I & II and Hingalgunj blocks about 70-80 poultry farms got completely shattered. According to the Government of West Bengal statistics, over 6.77 million people have been affected and 137 killed in North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas. The cyclone AILA collapsed more than 500 kilometers of embankments and 926,000 semi permanent houses. In all the affected villages of Sundarbans, there is a high demand for safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, good hygiene practices, access to healthy food, temporary shelters and critical medical facilities. 102 relief camps have been set up in the worst affected districts of South & North 24 Pgs accommodating around 40,000 people. 3 In most of these villages, the household grain storages that provide year-round food supply for the entire family have got washed away along with the house, resulting in acute food crisis for the ensuing year. In most of these islands, inundation of land by saline water has practically made agriculture impossible in at least the next three years. In this scenario people are frantically searching for alternative sources of income to maintain their livelihood. The cooperation and assistance from voluntary organizations, clubs, UNICEF, Ramakrishna Mission, Bharat Sevasram Sangha and donor agencies are required to cope with the situation. DRCSC works to achieve food and livelihood security in the villages of Sunderbans and other ecologically vulnerable areas of West Bengal. In a bid to address the grim situation, DRCSC organized a one-day consultation programme for regeneration of agriculture and livelihood system in AILA affected areas on 13th July 2009. 2. Welcome Address Mr. Anshuman Das, Secretary of DRCSC initiated the day’s proceedings with a warm welcome for all the dignitaries present. He, mentioned that different organizations have responded in various ways and capacities to address the situation caused by AILA, but it is nowhere near adequate. DRCSC too, though relief has never been the primary focus of the organization has extended its help of about Rs.50 lakhs supported by KKS, Christian Aid and personal donation to the affected region. It has given the affected people only a short lease of life, but in order to bring about a perceptible change in the present situation, long-term interventions must be undertaken. The cyclone, once again, proved our inefficient early warning system. At Bangladesh end, there were number of alert messages on Sunday, 24 May 2009 itself. The event, though was unpredicted but was realy not very unexpected; as now it is well accepted that due climate changes, frequency and intensity of this kind of extreme events will increase. And Sunderban, is going to be the one of the most climate vulnerable eco region. To protect it and to adapt climate change impacts, it needs solid preparation and long term interventions. The meet was mainly organized to explore the agricultural possibilities and other livelihood options for people living in the AILA-affected areas. The presence of international agencies, local organizations, and resource persons from the fields of forestry, fishery, livestock & agriculture and the farmers from the South & North 24 Pgs. flared up the expectations of living up to its objective and coming up with truly viable alternatives for the hapless people. 4 3. Sessions 3.1 Session I 3.1.1 Video Clipping on AILA The session began with the screening of a snippet on AILA. It captured the devastations caused by AILA in the Hingalgunj Block of North 24 Pgs. along with glimpses of the local people’s experience from the day the cyclone came and the sufferings that followed. It also tried to make a need assessment of the entire situation and tried to hint at some possible intervention measures. 3.1.2 Experience sharing by farmers and workers The farmers & workers of Sustainable Food and Livelihood Security Network Project from North & South 24 Pgs. shared their experiences of facing, absorbing and fighting the devastations caused by AILA and the disastrous impact it had on their food and livelihood situation. They also suggested some ways and means of addressing the all-encompassing problem with inputs from the knowledge they had inherited through generations. Nishambhu Mondal, a farmer nurtured by Swanirvar, one of the long-time partners of DRCSC operating mainly in North 24 Pgs – shared his experience of the aftermath of AILA. The saline water that entered through breaches in the river dykes has stagnated causing the salt to settle in the fields. The green fields have turned brownish black. Vegetables in the homestead gardens have got ruined, fish in the ponds have been killed. The people are now very much worried about their future. Hiranmoy Biswas of Janakalyan Samity from Shridharkathi, North 24 Pgs. shared that after the disaster people are now migrating to Andaman, Bangalore, Gujarat etc. in search of livelihood. Women are coming to cities in search of work. He described how river water with high velocity and waves as high as 5 ft lashed on the ground drowning, devastating livestock, fish, humans and properties. There is no scope for income in their village. The market is totally damaged. Narayan Chandra Bachhar, a resource farmer and a worker of Swanirvar of North 24 Pgs. informed that in Baduria Block about 3500 bighas of land with crops were damaged. Entire crop of jute and sesame are lying prostrate on the ground submerged in saline water. The soil has become saline which is evident from the white patches all over. In fear of losing their only means of livelihood, the farmers cannot leave their land and go elsewhere to earn their living nor do they have the option of cultivating it. 5 Sukdev Mondal, a farmer of Indraprastha Srijan Welfare Society (ISWS) from Ramganga Block, South 24 Pgs. shared that paddy varieties that can tolerate 50% salinity can be cultivated in such extreme saline conditions. Vegetables can be cultivated in sacks and earthen pots using fresh water from a nearby source. Plants with low and medium root depths must be selected for this purpose. A good rain can wash out the salinity of the land Animesh Bera, a worker of ISWS from South 24 Pgs. informed about the outbreak of different water borne diseases. Application of lime and bleaching powder is not producing desired results. People are being compelled to sell their cattle and other domestic animals due to unavailability of fodder, fresh water etc. The farmers are migrating to places – near and far – in search of work. Matin a volunteer from Swanirvar, North 24 Pgs. commented that the basic needs at the moment are getting fulfilled by the relief materials supplied but the availability of such materials in the future is something to be pondered upon. He queried about the regeneration of the salinated lands, which he thought was the most important issue to be discussed. Prabhanjan Mondal a farmer from Gosaba, South 24 Pgs. told that 2000 kg of rice, 3 quintals of chili, 20-22 kg of fish got washed away in the lashing waves. People from nearby areas took shelter in his house. Local Police Station, Block Office helped at that time. He donated Rs.10,000/- for relief work at Kumirmari. Dilip Naskar from Bagmari Netaji Sangha, South 24 Pgs. informed that saline water remains stagnant in the affected blocks and after evaporation leaves a layer of salt. He shared that seedbed for indigenous paddy cultivation should be raised in high places. Suggestions that emerged from the sharing are: • 2 – 3 heavy showers can wash away the salt from the land surface thereby reducing its saline concentration. • Salinity tolerant indigenous paddy varieties like ‘Talmugur’, ‘Getki’, ‘Kanasol’, ‘Bhunri’ etc. can be cultivated. The seedbeds for these varieties should be raised in higher places of the village where saline water could not reach. • Vegetables like yam, sponge gourd, pumpkin etc. can be grown in earthen pots, sacks with fresh soil and compost. Vegetables can be grown on raised beds with fresh soil from unaffected places in the village.

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